


James and Winnie Do All the AUs

by yarnandtea



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, AU, Drabbles, F/M, alternate universe challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-01
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-14 04:50:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 43,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1253521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yarnandtea/pseuds/yarnandtea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Here is the collection of all of the drabbles written for "Challenge on Infinite Earths." It is a 30 day OTP challenge focusing on AUs and sounded too fun to pass up. Originally posted on my tumblr (teadrinkingdragon).</p><p>Most of these will be more or less safe for work, but some of them will get explicit, hence the rating. I'll warn in the notes before any of the NSFW drabbles though!</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="http://horrormoans.tumblr.com/post/37318772896/challenge-on-infinite-earths-is-a-30-day/">The challenge can be found here if you want to try it yourself!</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hogwarts

“All right, I think we’ve got a pretty good idea of your general skills in defensive magic,” Anderson drawled. “But we’ve got a little time left yet.” A wide grin broke out on his face. “Let’s try something fun now. Have any of you mastered _Expecto Patronum_ yet?”

James fidgeted, glancing around at the other seventh years. From the look on Anderson’s face, he hadn’t just asked that question on a whim. He knew some of them had been working on that spell on their own. Probably Professor Longbottom had told him. James had seen the two of them conferring when the Aurors had arrived earlier in the day. Still, none of the other students stepped forward to show off their skill.

James frowned. He knew for a fact that the girl from Ravenclaw had been practicing _Expecto Patronum_. He’d run into her more than once in the restricted section of the library and heard her mention it to her study partners. From the terrified look on her face though, he wondered if maybe she hadn’t managed to figure it out yet. He bit back a smirk, not wanting to come off as cocky. Confidence was one thing in an Auror candidate. Arrogance was another.

_Probably more like she just doesn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of the Aurors._ Not that James blamed her. Not for the first time, his eyes slid to the woman seated next to Anderson at the front of the room.

James wasn’t sure what he’d expected when Professor Longbottom told him that a group of Aurors was coming to assess potential new candidates from recommended seventh year students, and that he’d put James’ name forward, but it sure as hell hadn’t been _this_. Not David Anderson, the head of the Aurors. Surely he had better things to do than drop by Hogwarts and watch a bunch of kids play at fighting dark wizards. But Anderson had only been the tip of the iceberg, because he hadn’t come alone. He’d brought Shepard.

Winnie Shepard had been a fifth year in Ravenclaw when James had first come to Hogwarts. He hadn’t really had much interaction with her at all, what with the age difference and having been sorted into Hufflepuff himself. But he had known who she was. Already back then people had been talking about how _good_ she was. How she was a lock for becoming an Auror once she left school. Which she had, of course. James glanced back at the girl from Ravenclaw again. Williams, he thought her name was. She still looked petrified, and was staring at Shepard with wide eyes.

James glanced back at Shepard again. She was shorter than he remembered—or maybe it was just that her legend had been built up so much he had just forgotten. Prettier too. As he looked, she glanced his way, arching one eyebrow when she caught him staring. James felt himself go red in the face, but then Shepard winked. He nearly fell out of his chair. She leaned over to say something in Anderson’s ear and he nodded, turning to James as well.

“Mr. Vega! Will you do us the honor?”

James blinked for a minute, wondering what Anderson was talking about, but then he remembered. Oh, right. Patronus. “Uh,” he cleared his throat, pushing himself up to his feet. “Sure, yeah.”

Trying to ignore the expectant eyes that fell upon him, he moved to the space between the students and the Aurors and turned so that he was facing the wall of the classroom. Unable to help himself, he glanced back at Shepard, and she smiled, giving him a nod of encouragement. James closed his eyes and took a deep breath, summoning the happiest memory he could: getting his invitation to Hogwarts. A grin spread across his face as he began the motion of the spell. Yeah, that had been a high point, learning what he was, what he could do. That he had a chance to actually make something of himself, despite his father’s best efforts to tear him down in every way possible.

“ _Expecto Patronum_!” he bellowed. He opened his eyes just in time to see a sleek silvery shape shoot from the tip of his wand, and his grin widened. _Aw, hell, who am I kidding? Cocky’s in my nature._ He let the panther gambol around the room a bit until it came to a stop in front of Shepard. She reached out a hand to it, as if to scratch the big cat behind the ears, and shot James a smile that warmed him to his toes.

He was trying to get his blush under control and look anywhere else when Anderson came up beside him and clapped his shoulder. “Oh that’s very nice. You did good, son.”

“Thank you, sir,” James said, finally tearing his gaze away from Shepard.

“It looks like Longbottom was right about you,” Anderson said with a grin of his own. “Hopefully we can look forward to working together very soon.”

“Thank you!” James said again. “It will be an honor, sir.”

His eyes wandered back to Shepard and she smiled at him again, meeting his eyes with a knowing look. He swallowed and tried not to blush again. It occurred to James that his life was about to get much more interesting than he could ever have expected.


	2. Zombies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a disclaimer: I am really not fond of the whole zombie thing. There are a few exceptions (like Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead), but mostly they are so not my thing. So I kind of rolled with that for today's challenge. It's less AU and more slice-of-life for their relationship. Although I suppose if you squint, it could be AU in that I have no idea when these two would find time to be playing video games together.

Winnie yelped and dropped her controller, ducking behind James’ broad back and burying her face in his t-shirt. “You didn’t tell me,” she mumbled against him, “that this was a _zombie_ game.”

From the vid screen came an unnatural groan, followed by the unmistakable sound of her character being clubbed to death. James muttered something in Spanish under his breath and Winnie could feel the play of his muscles as he hastily worked his controller, trying to keep up with the influx of enemies now that his character stood alone.

After a few tense moments, he relaxed and tossed his own controller onto the coffee table. Winnie peeked around him with more caution than she would have used on a battlefield, letting out a relieved breath when she saw that James had turned the game off. He chuckled and she met his eyes, glad to find more amusement than irritation in them. She offered him a sheepish grin and shrugged.

“Shit, Lola. I’ve seen you go head to head with husks unarmed more times than I can even remember. Not to mention bigger, scarier nasties. Never woulda thought I’d have to warn you about crappily animated zombies.” He arched an eyebrow and leaned back against the couch, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“It’s not the same thing!” Winnie insisted. She sighed and shook her head, a frown forming as she tried to explain. “Real life is different. I don’t have time to get freaked out in battle. I freak out, I die, for real.” Her lips quirked up at the edges. “Again.”

James narrowed his eyes. “Not funny, Lola.”

“Hmm.” The smile broke free and she reached out to punch him lightly on the arm. “Look, just,” she sighed and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back from her face. “For future reference? I don’t do zombies, okay?” She paused for a beat, then added, “Or clowns.”

“Right. No zombies, no clowns.” James laughed again and reached out to take one of her hands, giving it a brief squeeze. “The great Commander Shepard does have weaknesses after all, good to know.” He ducked when Winnie threw another punch, a harder one this time, and caught her other hand, giving it a squeeze as well. Glancing at the vid screen, he sighed. “So, there go my plans for the evening. We gonna write off gaming together as a bad call, or do you wanna give something else a try?”

Winnie perked up and a wide grin filled her face. “Do you have Galaxy of Fantasy?”

James groaned and pulled his hands free, bringing them up to cover his eyes. Winnie laughed and he slumped back on the couch with a heavy sigh. “All right, fine. But—” he lowered his hands and gave her a stern look, “—we are _not_ inviting Kaidan to play. We find a server he hasn’t conquered yet. If I wanted to get my ass handed to me in my down time, I’d have asked you to dance instead.”

Winnie laughed again and James couldn’t help but grin in response. She offered him a hand, shaking his when he took it. “Deal!”


	3. Medieval

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun with this one. So much.

“Lady Winnifred!”

Winnie halted and drew a deep breath before turning to look back down the corridor. James and Samantha had been right behind her, but now they stepped to the side to allow her to see the approaching man.

“Lord Conrad,” Winnie said, trying to force a bright smile on her face. It would not do to let her annoyance show, not here in the Citadel itself. He was a friendly fellow, if not very bright, and more of a pest than an actual menace. But his father, Lord Udina, held quite a bit of sway here in the heart of the great Alliance. The corridor might appear to be empty, but there was no way of knowing how many unseen witnesses lurked nearby, ready to take word of any perceived slight, no matter how small, back to Udina.

While she had never been outright hostile toward Conrad, it was sometimes difficult to hide her frustration when attempting to discourage his obvious infatuation. Conrad was not the sort to hold a grudge, and though disappointed, he had never appeared to feel slighted by her demeanor. Indeed, she had often thought that if he were not so set on a match between them, they could have become fast friends. But his father was another story, and if he thought that she had given insult to his son, he was quite capable of finding ways to make her life miserable.

It wasn’t as if he liked her very much to start with, now, was it?

So she made herself smile and hid her hands in the folds of her skirts, clutching her fists into the fabric as she bowed her head briefly to Conrad. “Was there something you needed of me, my lord?”

He blushed deeply and bowed to her. “I just wished to inquire as to whether or not you will be attending the tournament tomorrow, my lady?” He looked up, eyes bright.

“I fear not, my lord,” she replied, a wave of relief washing over her. Perhaps she could get out of this encounter unscathed after all. “Watching such sport does not really sit well with my nature,” she added by way of an explanation.

James made an abortive sound in his throat and Winnie resisted the urge to glare at him. At least he managed to keep his face impassive. Though it did not escape her notice that he had fixed his eyes on the tapestry behind Conrad and was refusing to look elsewhere. She chanced a glance at Samantha and found her lady-in-waiting wearing the expression that _looked_ like polite interest but really meant she was fighting not to burst out with laughter. Terrible, the both of them.

Conrad’s face had fallen at her answer, but he rebounded with ease, offering her a warm smile. “Well, I confess I had hoped to ask you to do me the honor of letting me wear your favor when I fight. But if you won’t be there, I suppose there is no point.” He bit his lip, but then brightened. “At least I have the reassurance that you won’t have given your favor to any of the other entrants.”

“That is true,” Winnie said, fighting her exasperation. “I have no intention of giving my favor to any of the participants.”

“Oh good!” He shot a curious glance at James. “Will your guard not be participating then? I have heard he is quite formidable with a sword.”

James cleared his throat and glanced at Conrad with a shrug. “I have never had much interest in that sort of competition.”

“Shame,” Conrad said with a grin. “I would have liked to see you compete. I am sure you would have done your mistress proud. At the very least you might have provided some real opposition to the Scarlet Dragon. It seems he’s the favorite to win tomorrow.”

Again, James made that abortive sound and snapped his eyes back to the tapestry. “I very much doubt I would last long against the Scarlet Dragon,” he said in a tight voice.

“Well, I know I’m glad I won’t be going up against him tomorrow,” Conrad admitted. “He doesn’t tend to go in for the same events I enter.”

“Who is this Scarlet Dragon?” Winnie tilted her head, curiosity getting the better of her. James glanced at her and then his eyes darted away again. Samantha made a small noise that sounded suspiciously like a squeak. Winnie glanced between the two of them, eyes narrowing.

Conrad seemed to miss the byplay. “Oh! Forgive me, my lady. I suppose you wouldn’t know, since you don’t go to the tournaments. The Scarlet Dragon has won the last five large tournaments in the realm. Tiny little fellow. You wouldn’t expect much to look at him, but put a sword or a lance in his hand and no one can touch him.” Conrad grinned and shook his head in awe. “He’s a bit of a mystery though. No one knows who he really is. Never takes his helmet off, and no one’s gotten close enough to _knock_ it off, you know. Just stays long enough to collect his winnings, which I’ve heard he always donates to the poor, and then disappears until the next tournament.” He grinned at her. “Adds an extra bit of excitement to things, if you ask me.”

“I see,” Winnie replied faintly. “How very intriguing.” She glanced at James and Samantha, but they were both avoiding her eyes.

“I do hope he shows up tomorrow,” Conrad added. “He took quite a beating in the last match at Illium, could barely move his arm at the end of things. I would wager he had to have his armor cut off after it was all over.” He glanced at Winnie and cleared his throat, mistaking her carefully blank face for disinterest. “Forgive me, my lady. I know you said these things do not interest you.” He bowed to her again. “I will not take up any more of your time today. But perhaps tomorrow night, you might grace me with a dance after the feast?”

“Of course, my lord,” Winnie replied automatically. She held out a hand and he took it, pressing his lips lightly to it before turning to head back the way he had come. Winnie stared after him for a few long moments and then turned without another word, making her way through the castle to her own suite of rooms. Once she and her companions were safely inside, she raised an eyebrow at them and asked, “The Scarlet Dragon?”

“Yeah, that started up after Thessia,” James answered, dropping down into one of the spindly chairs by the fire. It creaked under his bulk but held. “Because of the dragon on the shield, and all of the blood that’s been shed.”

Winnie issued a very unladylike snort and dropped into the seat across from James, shaking her head.

“Did you really not know?” Samantha seemed torn between surprise and amusement. She gave in to the latter, a wide smile breaking out across her face. “It seems all anyone in the markets can talk about, this close to a tournament.”

“Well, as long as it keeps people from discovering the truth,” Winnie sighed, “I suppose it can’t be a bad thing.” Her face scrunched up and she tilted her head. “I do rather like the sound of that. The Scarlet Dragon.” She reached up to rub at her shoulder. The bruises had long since faded, but it still gave her a twinge of pain occasionally. She doubted it would be a problem on the morrow, though. Glancing at James she asked, “Have all of the repairs been made to my armor?”

“Of course.” He smiled at her and reached out to take her hand, twining their fingers together. “All fixed up as good as new. I’m not about to let you go out there in anything but the best.”

“Thank you, James,” she said. A slow grin spread across her face. “I wonder if there’s still time to embellish it before the first match.”

“And what were you thinking, my lady?” Samantha’s voice had a knowing ring to it, and Winnie knew she was only asking the question for formality’s sake.

“I was thinking a dragon on the breastplate would do nicely.” She winked at them. “A red one.”


	4. Spies

“James, I need you.”

He went still, brow furrowed, trying to discern a cue from her voice. On the other end of the call, the impatient silence was broken with a huff.

“Come on, you know how hard it is for me to ask for help. How soon can you get to The Omega?”

He relaxed and shook his head, laughing silently at himself. Of course it was _help_ she needed. She never called for the other thing, just showed up at the door. He should have known better. “Probably take an hour,” he answered. “What kind of backup am I giving you?”

“I’ve made my way into the good graces of one of Cerberus’ top lieutenants,” she said. “But they want me to help them pull off a job to prove I’m worth bringing in deeper. We’re still lacking a heavy, and you’ve got a reputation over there from that time you spent infiltrating Aria’s crew. You never burned that alias, right?”

“It’s still good,” he grunted. He crossed the room, throwing open his linen closet and pushing a hidden button in the paneling. The closet’s back wall slid aside to reveal his supply room. He stepped inside, already going through a mental list of supplies he’d need.

“Excellent.” He could hear the smile in her voice. She’d known he wouldn’t let her down. “I’ll let them know you’re coming. Room 4215.”

“Got it.” He paused, grimacing before asking, “Does Anderson know you’re bringing me in?”

“Anderson has me here off-book,” she answered. “I’ve got free reign.”

_ And no official backup _ , James thought. _Damn_. “So I guess I’m not getting paid for this, then?” He trusted she’d hear the joking in his tone. They’d been through too much together for him to let her get in over her head without help when she asked for it. This wasn’t about money and they both knew it. She had come to him for a reason.

“Afraid not,” Winnie said, and again he could hear the smile in her voice, though it was different this time. If he closed his eyes, he had no trouble picturing the look on her face that usually went with _that_ voice. Heat pooled in his groin at the image. It didn’t help when she added, “But I promise to make it worth your while,” in a slow drawl.

“Right.” He swallowed, willing his body to ignore the distraction. There was work to be done. “See you soon then.”

“Thanks, James.”

“Any time, Lola, you know that.”

He hit the button to end the call and started assembling his equipment. While he worked, his imagination drifted back to her promise, picturing all of the fun they’d have in celebration once the job was done. Even without the incentive of sex, though, he’d have helped her. She’d had his back too many times for him to even consider turning her down.

_ Still _ , he grinned as he made his way out the door, _it sure does make the whole thing a bit more exciting, knowing what’s waiting at the end of the job._


	5. School

Winnie twiddled her pencil between her thumb and forefinger, her leg bouncing from nerves as she peered around the corner of the stacks. This was ridiculous. She shouldn’t be here. She should have called him this afternoon and canceled the session. Or said something to him this morning. Or better yet, not have gone home with him last night. She groaned and leaned back in her chair, covering her face with her hands, pencil dropping to the notebook and rolling off it, across the table, and over the edge.

What was she doing? What had she been thinking? A flash of heat ran through her body and she groaned again. She hadn’t been thinking at all, that was the problem. Aside from the fact that she was his tutor, and she really didn’t like the implications that had on what they’d spent the last night doing, there was also the age difference. For crying out loud, he was a freshman! She slumped forward, crossing her arms on the table and resting her forehead on them, eyes closed.

Okay, so maybe he didn’t _act_ like a freshman. And she had to admit, none of the other athletes she’d ever tutored had actually seemed to give a crap about their grades, while _he_ did. His sports scholarship wasn’t a full ride—hockey didn’t really draw the big bucks in the part of the country—and she’d been surprised to learn that the rest of his financial aid _was_ academic. That was a new twist. But still. Almost four years was a big gap, especially when she’d be graduating in a few months and heading off to grad school across the country, while he still had several years here yet.

Sleeping with the guy had been a bad call, she knew it had been. But last night, it hadn’t even occurred to her to tell him no. It had all just felt so easy, so right. They’d run into each other at the little hole-in-the-wall Chinese place that she loved, and everything had just…flowed. She sighed and pushed herself up, rubbing at her eyes again. “Get it together Shep,” she muttered to herself.

Yeah, it had been fun. She hadn’t let herself cut loose like that in a long time. But here in the quiet, dusty light of the library, she could see more clearly. There was no way it could work out between them. The last time she had tried to date an athlete, it had blown up in her face. She didn’t think she was ready to make another attempt just yet. Not to say that was where this was going anyway. For all she knew, he saw last night as just a one time hookup. Which, she tried to convince herself, would be a _good_ thing. Because if he didn’t, she wouldn’t just have to tell him that they should discontinue the tutoring sessions, she’d _also_ have to tell him she thought getting involved romantically was a bad idea. She felt a flash of relief that at least she did the tutoring gig on a volunteer basis. If she had been getting paid for it, that would have made this _extra_ awkward.

_ As if it’s not already awkward enough _ .

She jumped at the sound of footfalls behind her, and then a strong pair of arms wrapped her up. “Hey, Lola,” a husky voice breathed in her ear, right before its owner leaned down to place a soft kiss on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. She sucked in a breath, trying to ignore the thrills the touch sent racing through her. He squeezed her into a tight hug and then let go, dropping into the chair next to her and tossing his backpack on the table, a wide grin on his face. “So how was your day?”

“James.” Winnie frowned at him slightly. Damn it, he was going to make this difficult, wasn’t he? Why did he have to be in such a good mood? “We have to talk,” she told him.

His grin faltered for a split second and then eased into something else, and she saw a flash of understanding in his eyes. “Yeah,” he agreed, “I guess we do. But let me show you something first, okay?”

“Oh…kay,” she said, tilting her head, curious.

James leaned over and opened his bag, pulling something out and handing it to her. “Astronomy term paper,” he told her, leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. “Got it back today.”

“I don’t remember you mentioning a term paper for that class,” Winnie said as she flipped through the paper. James had Hackett for Astronomy, and he always put the grades on the last page. “I would have helped you with--,” she began, but paused as some of the diagrams caught her attention. Her eyes widened and she turned back to the start of the paper, flipping through it more slowly. “James, this is good. _Really_ good.” She reached the last page and wasn’t at all surprised to find he’d received full credit for it. She glanced up at him, confused.

James appeared to be warring with pride and embarrassment as he watched her. She raised an eyebrow in silent question and he rubbed the back of his neck. “You know half of my scholarships are academic, Lola. I mean, they don’t give them out to complete idiots.”

“I never thought you were an idiot!” she protested.

“I know,” he laughed. There was something warm in it that brought a blush to her face and he leaned forward, chucking her under the chin lightly. “But when I told you I needed a tutor in Astronomy and Physics, you never thought to question it.”

She leaned back, giving him an assessing look. “You do tend to pick up on stuff more quickly than I’m used to.” She shrugged. “I just figured you needed someone to help you focus on your studies,” she admitted. “A break from the distractions.”

“Lola,” he laughed, “you’re a lot of things. A break from distractions is not one of them.” He winked at her and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “But I guess I’m saying I don’t need you to be my tutor anymore.”

“Seems to me you never needed a tutor in the first place,” she said, rolling her eyes. She didn’t pull away though.

“Maybe so,” he said with another laugh.

“I don’t get it,” she said, shaking her head. “Then why even bother?”

“Come on, Lola, haven’t you figured it out?” He sat back and reached out to take her hands, linking their fingers together. “Would you have given me the time of day if I had just up and asked you out?”

“James!” Her eyes went round and she felt her face go red. She tried to think of some way to answer that question, but he just waved her off with a smile.

“It’s all good, I figure this way we got the chance to get to know each other a little, yeah?”

“I guess,” she admitted.

“So now that neither one of us is busy with a tutoring session, what do you say we go get some pizza? My treat.”

“James, I don’t think this is a good idea—”

“Sometimes, Lola, you think too much.” He leaned forward again, face turning serious. “I know you’re leaving at the end of the semester, and I know we’ve got stuff we’ll have to work out. But I’m willing to give it a try if you are. What do you say?”

She scrunched up her nose, considering it. James still held her hand, and he rubbed his thumb in an idle circle against her skin, sending a shiver through her. He noticed and smirked and she stuck her tongue out at him, drawing a low laugh. She had to admit, last night was the most fun she’d had in a long time, and not just the part after they’d left the restaurant together, but all of it. In fact, before today, she’d looked forward to every session with James, always glad to see him. Maybe…well, maybe he was right. It was at least worth a shot. And honestly, May was so very far away.

“I say, I’m not really in the mood for pizza. How about tacos instead?”

James laughed and stood, pulling her up with him and hugging her tightly. “Works for me. I know a great little joint just around the corner!”

“Lead the way, then,” Winnie replied, unable to stop her own laugh as he pulled her out of the library.


	6. Mythical Creatures

He felt like he was being watched. All damn day there’d been a prickling sensation at his back, right between his shoulder blades. Not an itch, just…well, it felt like someone was watching him. James shrugged uncomfortably, trying to dislodge the feeling, but it didn’t help.

“I thought these woods were supposed to be abandoned,” he muttered. That was why he had come up here, of course. He needed to get away from other people for a while. He needed a safe haven, somewhere he could set up a bolt hole to hide in if the worst happened. A large forest covering the foothills of an impassable mountain range offered plenty of opportunities for hiding, in between caves and thickets. There was water and game, plenty of plants for eating and building. It had sounded ideal to James, especially when he’d heard that the nearest settlement was over a week away by horse, and that no one with any sense ventured into that forest anymore.

Of course, there was a reason for that last bit. The woods were said to be haunted by malevolent spirits. But James hadn’t ever claimed to have any sense, and the idea of spirits didn’t bother him overmuch. Besides, it wasn’t as if he was helpless. He sighed and moved on, coming across a clearing and enjoying a bit of warm sunshine as he crossed it. He hated that he had to seek out abandoned places, that he felt safer in isolation. He _liked_ people, or he had. Once, the bustle of a crowded city or the close-knit society of a small village were things that he had reveled in. But he had changed, and now those places were more of a risk than a comfort. For him as much as for the people that lived there.

He reached the other side of the clearing and walked under the trees again for a few long moments before he came to an abrupt stop. The feeling of being watched was gone. He turned around in a slow circle, eyes closed, listening carefully, and could hear nothing but the ordinary sounds of a forest. A slow smile spread across his face and he laughed in a low voice. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the ground before him, taking note of its upward slope. The foothills were only just beginning. If he wanted to reach higher ground and find a cave before dark, he’d need to start moving a lot faster.

Not giving himself any time to think about it, he began stripping off his clothing. He folded them up and slipped them into his pack, taking extra care to fasten it closed again. Then he loosened up the straps before sliding it onto his back once more and dropping to the ground on his hands and knees. He took several deep breaths and let his eyes drop shut, concentrating, letting his senses expand, imagining the moon, letting himself feel its invisible pull—always there now, even in the middle of the day. His skin rippled and he grunted once, twice, and then there was a shift. Where James had knelt, a large black wolf now stood, a pack strapped securely to its back.

The wolf flicked his ears, taking another survey of his surroundings, then began running, loping in the direction of the mountains. If James could have laughed in this form, he would have. Instead he settled for a short, sharp, barking grunt. Everything in the forest felt so much more real, _alive_ like this. All of his regrets faded away as he ran. Yes, he might miss society sometimes, but this feeling was one he would not give up for anything in the world.

The sensation of being watched returned once or twice as the day spent itself, but it no longer concerned him as it had. If the watcher was a threat, it would make itself known eventually, and if it wasn’t then it was nothing for James to worry himself over. Not long before sunset, he found a small cave that would suit his purposes, at least until he could find something a bit more secure. It smelled cold and musty, and held no scent of other creatures, despite its nearness to a small stream. Before returning to his human form, he visited the stream and caught several small fish. They would do nicely for dinner.

By the time night had fallen, he had a small fire burning just outside the cave and his belly was full of the fish he had caught. He lounged next to the fire and stared up at the stars in contentment, glad he had given the forest a chance. A snapping twig caught his ear and he dropped his gaze to look out over the fire, his vision taking a moment to adjust and make out the form that stood in the trees.

When it saw it had James’ attention, the form moved forward, coming to a stop on the other side of the fire. James felt his breath catch. A sleek green dragon stood before him, its tail wrapped carefully around its forelegs and wings furled. Its scales gleamed in the firelight, and James thought it might be the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

Still. Dragon.

“So,” he drawled, sitting up slowly. “I take it you’re the ‘spirit’ that haunts this forest?” The dragon tilted its head but made no other movement. James took the lack of attack as a sign of encouragement. “I guess you’re the one who’s been watching me all day?” He held up his hands in a gesture of peace, wondering how much of his speech the dragon was actually getting. “I promise I’m not here to make trouble. I just need a quiet place to _be_ , you know?”

The dragon just stared at him and James began to grow nervous. He might not have any experience with dragons, but he thought this one was acting strangely all the same. What was it waiting for? “Look,” he said, exasperation winning out over common sense, “if you’re here to eat me, can you just get it over with? Because otherwise, it’s been a long day and I think I’m ready for bed.”

Needing to do _something_ , he turned back toward the cave, as if he meant to really go crawl into his bedroll that second. The sound of laughter caught him by surprise and he whirled back around to find a woman sitting on the other side of the fire. The first thing he noticed was her eyes, dark and glittering with amusement. Next he was drawn in by her hair, sleek and black and falling in cascades around her shoulders. Her very bare shoulders. He blinked and looked away, blushing at his reaction to her nakedness. She laughed again.

“Weredragon?” He stuttered the word, barely managing to get it out in his disbelief. He’d never heard of such a thing. But clearly they must exist. The evidence was right in front of him, and after all—

“Werewolf?” she countered, one eyebrow raised. James grunted and nodded. “I’ve never met a werewolf before, but I don’t think I mind the idea of sharing my forest with one,” she said, offering him a kind smile. Then she winked, the kindness turning to playfulness.

She stood and stretched, either unaware or uncaring that she stood bare before him. James tried to make himself look away but gave it up as a lost cause. He looked his fill and she allowed it, a knowing smile on her face. She was quite small, in this form. James thought the top of her head might just reach his shoulders, were he to stand beside her. Something in him stirred at the thought of that and he realized he liked the idea quite a lot, standing with this woman.

“Wolves are social creatures, in my experience,” the woman said, tilting her head just as she had in dragon form. “It must be hard, to find yourself without a pack.” Something in her voice told James that she knew his feelings on that matter all too well herself. She locked eyes with him and grinned. “My cave is much bigger, and nicer.” She smirked. “I’ve even got an actual bed. If you don’t feel like being alone.”

“You don’t even know me,” he replied, unable to hide his surprise at the offer.

“I would wager I know you better than you think.” She glanced up at the sky, a sad smile on her face. She looked down again and then stepped carefully around the fire, kneeling beside him. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. Her touch was light, but it held the promise of so much more. “My cave is not far, if you run. If you want to come with me, douse your fire and change. I’ll lead the way.” She stood and stepped back around the fire, turning to watch the sky as she waited.

James bit his lip, staring at her in silence for a few long moments. Then he drew a deep breath and moved to put out the fire. He paused and glanced at her again. “Will you tell me your name?”

She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at him. “I’m Winnie,” she said.

“I’m James,” he answered.

“James,” she nodded. “It is very good to make your acquaintance.”


	7. Fairy Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was HARD to write, because try as I might, I could not come up with a fairy tale that I thought worked for Winnie and James. Even after going through my old book of Grimm fairy tales to consider some lesser known stories I was at a loss. So…I sort of made up my own. There’s no real moral of the story though, it’s more fairy tale-like than actual fairy tale. But hopefully you will still enjoy it. 
> 
> I actually ended up having fun with it (as you can see by how long it got, oops)!

Once upon a time, it happened that there was a princess called Winnifred. Only she really didn’t _like_ to be called Winnifred at all, because she thought it a stuffy name, even for a princess. But though she implored her parents time and time again, they refused to let her change her name, so Winnifred she was. She supposed it didn’t matter much, what her name might be, since most people simply called her “princess” or “your highness” anyway, although she didn’t think that was any better.

Now, it happened one day, when she was still very small and learning to ride, that her horse threw a shoe. She and her instructor found themselves closer to the village than the castle, so they continued on, taking the horse to the blacksmith to have the poor creature seen to. Her riding instructor, not overly fond of small children, and thinking the princess safe enough in the blacksmith’s care, slipped off to the nearby tavern for a drink while the shoe was repaired.

Winnifred was not left alone for long. As she watched the blacksmith work, his son James came along to offer her some water. She accepted it with thanks and he clambered up on the bench beside her to watch his father work. He was a year or two younger than Winnifred, but a big lad, with pretty brown eyes that seemed to see everything. He didn’t look anything like the boys she knew from court, but Winnifred thought he looked nice, all the same, and soon found herself caught up in conversation with him.

“What’s your name?” he asked, catching her by surprise.

“Winnifred,” she answered, giving him an odd look. It seemed he did not know who she was.

James scrunched up his face and tilted his head, giving her a long look in turn. “You don’t look like a Winnifred,” he said at last, shaking his head.

Winnifred was delighted by this statement. “Oh? And what do I look like?” she asked eagerly.

“Lola,” James pronounced with utter conviction.

And that, dear friends, was how the princess of the realm became fast friends with the blacksmith’s son. For the next few years, they were as inseparable as their duties allowed. James was often to be found at the castle, and although she was discouraged from spending too much time in the blacksmith’s shop, Winnifred would often sneak away to the village for the day anyway. She and James would play in the square and visit with the other villagers, making sure she could always swear to her parents that she had not been in the blacksmith’s shop at all. And even after finding out who she was, James never, ever, called her anything other than Lola.

Now, a great deal of people approved of the friendship between Winnifred and James. They liked that the princess did not hold herself above the common people, and took the time to get to know them and learn about their lives. It was said by all that this could only result in her becoming a fair queen one day. But the king and queen were not so sure, and watched the closeness of Winnifred and James with growing concern. Their daughter had very little time for the other members of court, and the appropriate boys her own age were largely ignored in favor of this commoner. They feared that something more than friendship was growing between the two. It would not do, they agreed, to allow the situation to continue.

On her sixteenth birthday, Winnifred woke early, sneaking down to the stables to ride into the village. Her parents had planned a grand party in her honor that night, but she wanted to make sure she got to spend at least some of the day with her best friend. But when she arrived, James was nowhere to be found, and when she ventured into the blacksmith’s shop to ask after him, James’ father only gave her a sad look and told her that James had been sent away to live with relations in the east.

Winnifred stared at him in shock for a few moments before collecting herself enough to ask when James was expected to return. “Never,” his father had replied, glancing down and fingering at a pouch tied to his belt. He refused to meet her eyes as he added, “He will have a better life there, I could not say no to the offer.”

Winnifred did not ask him what he meant. She did not need to. Without another word, she returned to the castle, storming into her parents’ suite as they were taking their breakfast. She demanded to know why they had sent James away, and though they did not deny it, they refused to give her any explanation beyond “We felt it necessary.”

Winnifred locked herself in her own rooms, inconsolable. Her parents tried to persuade her to come down for her party that evening, promising she would find plenty of new friends there if she only just _tried_ , but she refused. Indeed, she rarely left her rooms for the next few months. Eventually, she emerged again, ready to get on with her life. Her parents rejoiced and promised her that all would be well, and that she would find someone else to make her happy. But Winnifred did not believe them.

After James had been sent away, many people remarked on how changed Winnifred seemed. She did not grow cruel, exactly, but cool and distant. It was as if her light had dimmed. She hardly laughed anymore, and it was rare to see her even smile, save when she visited the villagers once a month. Her parents permitted her that much still. She continued to get on with the people of the realm very well, but with the king and queen, and many of the lords, she often quarreled. She felt them a privileged, spoiled, and clueless lot, and did not often bother to hide that opinion.

Years passed and her parents urged her to marry. They paraded suitors in front of her, but not a one of the men pleased the princess. She found fault in each and sent them home again. The king and queen began to despair of ever finding a husband for their daughter, but Winnifred seemed not one bit concerned with her lack of husband. She told her father she could rule the kingdom perfectly well without one, but he refused to drop the matter.

Finally, in desperation, the king gave up on trying to please his daughter and declared that she _would_ be married. A grand tournament was organized, open to all knights and lords of the realm, with the hand of Princess Winnifred to be the ultimate prize. Winnifred flew into a rage at this and threatened to run away and refused to marry the champion. Anticipating the reaction, her father had her locked away in the top of the tallest tower of the castle until the time of the tournament arrived.

Fearing that she might try to escape, or somehow sabotage the proceedings, the king did not even let Winnifred out of the tower to watch the tournament. She could see some of the matches from her window, but as high up as she was, it was hard to get more than a vague idea of what was happening. As the first day wore on, however, it did become clear that one knight seemed to be leading the lists. With no small amount of interest invested in the outcome, she tried to make out as much detail about the man as she could, to little avail. All she could really see was that he was large, compared to the other fighters, and that he had stripes of blue and white painted onto the arms of his armor.

That night, she dreamed of James. It was not an uncommon occurrence, she had often dreamed of her friend since he’d been sent away, although never before had he come to her as a bird, turning into James only after he had made it through her window. _But really, how else would he get to me all the way up here?_ He looked different from how he appeared in her other dreams as well. He was bigger, for one. James had always been large, but in her dream he was massive. He was scarred, lines crossing his face and arms, pale against his dark skin, and showing up clearly in the bright moonlight.

“Lola,” he breathed, remaining by the window as she sat up in her bed.

She held out her hands to him, smiling. “James.”

His hesitation faded and he crossed the room quickly, sweeping her up into a tight hug and then dropping to the bed, pulling her into his lap, arms going loose around her but remaining in place. He dropped his forehead to the top of her head and whispered, “I’ve missed you.”

“And I you, my friend,” she answered with a laugh, shifting to lean her head against his chest and looking up into his face.

“Really?” His pretty brown eyes were exactly the same as she remembered them, the one thing from her dreams that never changed.

“Of course.” She reached up and brushed her fingers across his cheek, smiling. “I’ve never dreamed of you being a bird before.”

He blinked and then laughed, a deep rumble that surrounded her. “You dream about me, Lola?”

“I must,” she teased, “else how could you be here right now?”

“Maybe after I was sent away, I ran from my family and met a witch who taught me how to change into animals,” he answered.

“Oh, how exciting!” She snuggled up against him. He never talked about what he had been doing since they parted, in her other dreams. She liked the idea of him learning magic though, and wondered if she could get him to tell her more. “Can you teach me?”

“Not in the time we have,” he answered, his voice turning serious. He glanced at the door, a small frown on his face. “Have you been happy, Lola?”

She frowned, wanting the dream to go back to happy things. “I’m locked up in a tower, waiting for a complete stranger to win this tournament so that I can be forced to marry him,” she answered in a dry voice. “What do you think?”

“Is there anyone you’re hoping will win?” he asked.

“You.” She sighed, not noticing the way he started at her answer. “It’s too bad you’re only a dream.”

He tilted her chin up, catching her eyes again. “But if I were…real. Is that what you’d want? For me to win the tournament?”

“Hmm, of course, James,” she murmured with a yawn. That was strange. Could one become sleepy in a dream? She winked at him. “Are you a knight as well as a sorcerer? Did the witch teach you how to fight, too?”

“No,” he smirked. “That was the lord who took me in after the witch saved his life.”

“Ah, of course.”

Her eyes drifted shut and James uttered a quiet laugh, lifting her up and then laying her back down in the bed, tucking her in. She made a sound of protest but he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips and brushed her hair back. “I’ll see you again, Lola,” he promised. There was a soft flutter of wings, and then he was gone.

She did not dream of James again during the tournament, but as it progressed she thought that might be for the best. She did continue to watch the matches from her window, and the knight with the white and blue markings on his armor continued to be the clear victor. She wondered what he was like, and supposed she would soon find out. _Let him be kind,_ she prayed, but without much hope.

At last, the tournament ended. Servants and guards were sent to fetch her, and she was bathed and dressed and made to look like a princess once more, although she knew she was still a prisoner. She looked for every opportunity to escape, but none presented itself. And so she found herself seated next to her mother in the banquet hall as the tournament prizes were being announced.

The awards presentation seemed to drag on forever, but eventually they arrived at the champion. Winnifred straightened in her seat as her future husband approached, watching him intently. He had changed out of his armor and now wore a deep blue cloak. The hood was up, and she could not see his face, but there was something…familiar in his gait. She frowned slightly, only half paying attention to the crier as the knight was presented. She looked him over closely and then gasped as he pushed back his hood, her eyes meeting a pair of familiar brown ones.

James winked at her, and it was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms that second. She glanced at her father and mother and realized that they did not recognize James at all. Her mother was watching her nervously, while her father was congratulating James on fighting so well. She could scarcely breathe, and gave up the struggle to keep the smile from her face, beaming at James as he approached her. He took the open seat beside her and her father clapped for the servants to begin serving the meal.

Once everyone else was well engaged in their food and conversation, James leaned over to whisper in Winnifred’s ear. “Will you have me, Lola?”

“For all of my days,” she whispered back. She reached for him under the table, linking her fingers with his. “I will not lose you again, my friend.”

“No,” he promised with a smile, “you won’t.”


	8. Futuristic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first reaction to this prompt was “But they already live in a futuristic world!” Heh. But hey, there are all kinds of possibilities for the future, right? So I had fun imagining them in a different type of future. They’re still in space, but the tech and circumstances are a bit different. It was fun. 
> 
> Also, smut, at last! So, um, not safe for work, y’all. Consider yourselves warned! ^_^

Winnie was bored. She stared at the screens in front of her, silently willing one of them to do  _ something _ , but they remained static. Of course, any variation would most likely be a bad thing, given that the screens showed the operations of the ship’s systems. But at least it wouldn’t be  _ boring _ . She sighed and pushed herself away from the display. As she stood, she entered the command to have any alerts or changes sent to her retinal display, then she turned and left the command center.

_ I can’t believe I thought this would be more exciting than milk runs to Mars or the moon _ , she grumbled to herself as she walked. When she’d heard that the first actual back and forth supply missions to Charon were hiring, she’d jumped at the chance. She’d busted her ass to get into space jockey training, and then worked twice as hard once she was there, only to end up flying cargo ships back and forth to Earth’s nearest extraterrestrial colonies. It. Was.  _ Boring _ . This was  _ space _ . It was supposed to be full of excitement and adventure, and new opportunities. But in her experience, it was turning out to be just another damn job.

But Charon…Charon was something else. Once humanity finally managed to get probes and rovers to its surface, scientists had been delighted to find there was basis for a foothold there. That had been almost three hundred years ago, though. It had taken time to get the program up and running, but the results of those first probes set the wheels in motion. Once the technology was available, a mission had been launched to attempt terraforming. A lot of people had been confused about that, Winnie had learned while reading up on the colony’s history. They had questioned the merit behind such an important experiment taking place at the edge of the galaxy. But that was the point, the project leads explained. If things went badly, Charon was too far away for any of the damage to affect Earth. But if they went well, Earth would have a base from which to expand their exploration further than ever. To reach out to other galaxies, maybe even find other species. The thought made her giddy. So many possibilities.

But before any exploration could begin, the colony had to be established. The terraforming process was just the first step, and it had taken almost fifty years to complete. Then there had been the challenge of getting the people and supplies to build a colony into place. The ships sent to Charon were huge, of necessity, and slow. They took five years to reach their destination, with crews and passengers in stasis for the most part. Those ships were embarking on one way trips, carrying everything needed to establish a colony and designed to be dismantled for parts.

In the twenty years since the first ships reached Charon, the colony had kept up limited communication with Earth, but no more ships had traveled between the two worlds. So Charon was something of a mystery to the rest of humanity. Until now. Finally, technology had caught up to their needs, and supply ships could be sent, taking only six months to cross the distance. While Charon was designed to be self-sufficient, there were still things from back home its inhabitants wanted, if they were available. If all went well with the initial runs, it wouldn’t be long before passengers could be ferried back and forth as well.

_ So maybe I just need to get in good on these dry runs _ , Winnie reminded herself,  _ and then I can have my own shuttle service. Meet all sorts of interesting people. Maybe get a place on Charon, if I like it there. _ Still, no matter how much she reminded herself that this job could only mean good things for her future, it didn’t change the fact that right now, it was boring as hell.

To make the supply ships cost-efficient, the systems were mostly automated. Two crew members were hired to handle the initial takeoff and landing, keep an eye on things during the flight, and fix anything that might go wrong. One month in, and nothing had gone wrong so far. Which left Winnie and her ship-mate with a whole lot of time on their hands and nothing to fill it with. For the most part, the two of them kept to themselves. But today Winnie found herself craving human company, so after leaving the command center she went looking for him.

James was where she had expected him to be, working out in the small crew common area. Somehow he’d managed to convince the bosses to let him bring a whole slew of exercise equipment along, and he’d more or less turned the common area into his own little gym. He was doing pull-ups on a support bar in the far corner of the room when she arrived. Winnie leaned against the wall, watching him for a few minutes without saying anything. She had to admit, all of the exercise certainly produced some nice results.

He slowed his motions and then stopped, dropping to the ground. “You need me for something, Lola?” He snatched up a towel from the nearby workbench and turned, mopping the sweat from his neck.

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Winnie asked, scrunching up her nose.

He shrugged and grinned at her. “You look like a Lola.”

Winnie sighed, but it wasn’t worth arguing with him over. “Whatever. I’m bored. I’ve got cards, do you want to play a game or something?”

“I’m always up for strip poker,” James said with a wink. For half a heartbeat, Winnie considered agreeing, because at least that had the potential to be interesting. But then James spoke up again. “Or we could dance.” He jerked his head the mat he’d set up.

“You want me to fight you?” Winnie couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice.

“Why not? You gotta work off some energy somehow, right? I know you like the treadmill, but you can’t tell me that doesn’t get old.”

She frowned and tilted her head, giving him a considering look. Then she shrugged and nodded. “All right.” She unzipped her sweatshirt, tossing it to a chair, and moved to the mat. If he expected her not to put up much resistance just because she was smaller than him, he was in for a hell of a surprise.

They fell into position, circling each other, assessing. Winnie let James strike first, and she dodged the blow without trouble, skipping back out of his reach. He moved in again, at an angle this time, and she lashed out a second before he could, getting in a sharp jab to his ribs. James let out a grunt and his eyes widened slightly, but he also grinned, giving her a nod of approval. When he made his next move, it was with more caution, and she knew he had begun to see her as a serious opponent. A grin spread over her own face at that.

The fight didn’t go on for very long. After a few more minutes James got in a glancing blow to her shoulder, but he seemed to expect it to impact Winnie more than it did, and he pulled back too slow, allowing her to land a punch square on his jaw. While he was recovering from that, Winnie seized the opportunity to move in, managing to throw him to the ground on his back. He let out a huff of air and stared up at her as she landed on top of him, pinning him down. She pulled back to punch him again but he put up both hands in a gesture of surrender.

“I give, Lola, you win!” He managed a short, breathless laugh and Winnie scrambled off his chest, helping him to sit up. He rubbed his jaw and eyed her with amusement, shaking his head and laughing again. “Damn, Lola, you’re scrappy. I did not expect that.”

“Most people don’t,” she told him, unable to keep the satisfaction from her voice.

“Their loss, I guess.”

They sat there for a few minutes, just looking at each other. Winnie could still feel the adrenaline coursing through her body from the fight. It was starting to ebb when James shot her an appraising glance and moved a hand to her knee, raising one eyebrow in question. Her heart started speeding up again.

“You know, there are other ways to blow off steam, now that I think about it. Lot more fun than fighting.” He rubbed his jaw again. “Probably less painful, too.” He cleared his throat and she saw that he was blushing. “If you’re interested, anyway.”

Winnie’s eyes dropped down to his hand on her knee and she bit her lip. Was the excitement she felt at the proposition due to the rush she still felt from the fight, or actual attraction to him? She couldn’t deny that she liked looking at him, and when they did manage to find themselves in conversation, she’d always ended up enjoying herself. She reached out and placed her hand on top of his, smiling at the jolt of electricity it sent running through her. Glancing back up, she caught his eyes and grinned. Hell, what else did they have to do? “Sounds good to me,” she said, pushing herself up to her feet.

She turned for the door leading to her room and heard James scrambling to his feet behind her, hurrying to follow. She couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped at that. Yeah, this had the potential to turn pretty awkward, but that didn’t mean it  _ would _ . And awkward was still better than boring, in her books.

She stopped just inside her room, glancing around the small space and trying to determine the best way to go about this. The door slid closed as James followed, and he stepped up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back against his chest. She let out a satisfied sigh as his heat surrounded her, and she felt more than heard the amused chuckle he loosed. He kissed her shoulder and then began peppering a line of kisses up her neck to her jaw, still holding her tight. One hand went to the waist of her pants, deft fingers unfastening the button and sliding their way inside. His mouth moved to her ear, teeth tugging at the lobe, tongue tracing the outer shell, as wide blunt fingers worked their way between her legs, pushing into her. Winnie moaned and let herself relax against him, allowing him to hold her up, her hands reaching back to clutch at his thighs.

Then the fingers were gone, and before she could protest, he spun her around and pulled her in for a hard kiss. She slid her arms around his neck, pulling herself up to the very tips of her toes, pressing herself as closely to him as she could get. He groaned and shifted, sliding his hands under her thighs and lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around him and nipped at his lip before moving in to kiss him again, pushing her tongue into his mouth.

She was aware that he had started walking, and the next thing she knew, he had dropped her on the bed, stretching himself out atop her for a brief kiss before he was gone again. His fingers moved back to her pants, this time tugging them off. Eager to keep things moving, Winnie reached up to shrug out of her shirt and bra. There were a few flurried moments as they got out of the rest of their clothing and then James was back, his skin burning against hers, lining himself up and pressing inside. Winnie cried out as he entered her and then lost herself to the sensations as they moved together. She wrapped her legs around him again, urging him to move faster, harder, deeper, and he complied with every unspoken command.

Afterward, they curled up together, content to be quiet again, save for soft panting as they both tried to catch their breath. Once they had begun to recover, James rolled up onto his side, propping himself up on an elbow to look down at her. He reached out his free hand and toyed with a lock of her hair. “We gonna do this again, Lola?”

She smiled, grateful for the opportunity he was giving her to walk away now if she wanted to. Not that she intended to take the opportunity. She walked her fingers up across his chest, tracing the line of a tattoo before moving on to his neck, sliding her hand behind it to pull him down for a kiss. “I sure hope so,” she whispered into his ear when they broke apart again. “I can think of a lot more things I’d like to do to you, James.”

“Sounds good to me,” he laughed, echoing her earlier words. He pulled back and gave her a sly grin. “Hey, does this mean that strip poker is back on the table?”

Winnie just laughed and pulled him back down for another kiss.


	9. Aliens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, a little less of them being or interacting with aliens, and a little more of them reacting to the alien apocalypse. ^_^ 
> 
> Here there be smut, y’all. Not safe for work!

“Hey, Lola,” James said, climbing into the watchtower from the trap door in the floor.

She shot him a brief glance and a briefer smile, saying “James,” in acknowledgment before turning back to survey the fields surrounding their camp. James stood near the door, fiddling as he watched her. After a moment, Winnie turned back to him, a small frown on her face. “I thought Cortez was relieving me tonight?”

“He is,” James assured her. He smiled to himself, amused that it had taken her a moment to question his presence. The fact that her shift wasn’t over for another half hour hadn’t pinged at all. She was used to James showing up early when he came to relieve her, sharing in the watch and talking for a bit before her time was up. She raised an eyebrow at him in question before turning back again, and James slipped up beside her, settling himself on the other end of her bench. “Just needed to talk you about something,” he said.

“Ah,” she said, giving a small nod. She didn’t look at him, but from the tilt of her head, he knew she was listening.

James was used to only having part of her attention up here. She took her watch duty seriously. He heard she’d been a cop, before the world had ended, and she’d never gotten over having been on vacation when the aliens attacked. As if her having been in the city on duty would have done anything to stop the invasion. She’d have just been killed along with everyone else unfortunate enough to be in a major population center that day. Not that he was stupid enough to actually say that to her.

She shifted slightly in her seat and James cleared his throat, realizing he hadn’t said anything for a few minutes. He let his eyes trace her profile for just another second, taking in her sharp cheekbones and the spray of freckles across her nose, the tilt of her eyes, the stubborn lock of dark hair that wouldn’t stay up in her ponytail _or_ behind her ear. He smiled and drew in a deep breath, trying to muster up some courage.

“Just um, well, wanted to ask you something, really. Or, invite you, I guess—” he cleared his throat again. _Just ask her already,_ pendejo _, stop putting it off._ “Look, Garrus got his quarters reassigned so he can stay with Tali, which means I’ve got my own place for at least tonight. I just wanted to say that, if you were interested…” He trailed off and looked away. He could feel his face burning. He pushed himself up from the bench and took a few steps toward the trapdoor. He paused and looked back over his shoulder. She was still watching the fields, sitting very still, and he wondered what was going through her mind. Well, he’d already likely made a mess of this, might as well get the whole thing out. “If you want, I’d like it if you came by when your shift is over. But if you don’t, well, I understand.”

Without another word, he swung open the door and dropped himself through it, not bothering with the ladder. Forcing himself to keep up a steady pace, he made his way from the tower to the barracks and his room. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ He berated himself as he shut the door and shrugged out of his clothes, stripping down to his boxers before getting into bed. What had he been thinking? But what else could he have done? When he found out he’d been assigned to join tomorrow’s raiding party, the only thing he could focus on was that two out of every three sent out just never came back. And of the parties that did return, most of them were always pretty bad off.

James didn’t like to be pessimistic, but the odds weren’t good. Those aliens were nasty customers. They just didn’t care about humanity. As long as people stayed in small groups in the middle of nowhere, they were more or less left alone. But if they brought themselves to the aliens’ attention, or even just got in their way, they were dead. It was that simple, and raiding parties were pretty much guaranteed to piss the aliens off. If he died without ever even _kissing_ Lola, or at least letting her know how he felt, well, that would suck. He probably would anyway, since he doubted she’d be interested, but at least he’d _said_ something.

He sighed and threw back the covers, getting out of bed again and venturing into the small bathroom. It looked weirdly empty without any of Garrus’ stuff, but James knew it wouldn’t stay that way for long. He wasn’t high enough on the ladder to get his own quarters, and the resistance was bringing in new fighters every day. James reached for his toothbrush, figuring he’d clean his teeth, just in case. Then he sighed and went back to bed, trying not to think too hard about what time it was.

He was almost asleep when a quiet knock sounded at his door. His eyes snapped open and his heart started racing, but before he could get up, he heard the door open. A spill of light from the hall was blocked by someone entering, and then the door shut once more, the light gone. There was the click of the lock being turned, and then soft footsteps moved into the room, followed by a whisper. “James, are you still awake?”

“Yeah, Lola.”

Nervousness and excitement both welled up inside him, and a grin spread across his face. The footsteps moved closer and then stopped, soft rustling sounds coming next. Heat flashed through James as he realized she was undressing. Shit, this was actually happening. He had enough presence of mind to toss back the covers again, just as the bed dipped down from her weight. Then she was on top of him, straddling his waist and leaning down to kiss him, hands cupping his face.

James’ hips bucked of their own volition, and Winnie chuckled, pulling back just a little. In the darkness he could only just make out the shine of her eyes, the barest hint of a smile curving up her lips. “I was beginning to think you were all talk,” she laughed, leaning down to kiss him again. “Not that that isn’t fun, too,” she added, “but, well.” She rolled her hips against him and James groaned, bucking up again. His hands went to her waist, holding tightly as he tried to ground himself.

“Damn, Lola, you don’t waste time, do you?”

“Hmm, I try not to, especially these days.” She reached for the waistband of his boxers. “These need to go.”

“Yes, ma’am,” James laughed. He let go of her so that she could swing her leg off of him, and he shimmied out of the underwear, tossing it to the floor. Before they heard it land, one of her hands reached for his cock, making slow, firm strokes, bringing him from half-hard to fully erect. He started to groan but she leaned down and kissed him again, swallowing the sound. James let his own hands begin to wander, sliding them up her waist and cupping her breast, tweaking the nipples to stiffness, causing her to cry out as she pulled back for a breath.

He let his hands drift back down, sliding them between her legs, teasing at her folds and circling her clit with his thumb. She let go of his cock, concentrating on keeping herself upright, palms flat to the bed on either side of him as he played with her. He slipped one finger inside, then another. She was warm and wet and damn, he didn’t think he was going to last long. She made a soft whimpering sound as he brushed her clit again, and his cock twitched in response. Drawing in a ragged breath, he pulled his fingers out and reached for her hips, guiding her back to her earlier position. “Come on, Lola,” he breathed.

She didn’t hesitate, climbing on top of him and sinking down onto his cock with a satisfied groan. She rolled her hips and James arched his back and they began moving together, finding a rhythm and losing themselves in each other. It wasn’t enough to make him forget about how the world had gone to hell, but it _was_ enough to make him not care, at least for a little while.

When they had finished, she dropped down beside him and curled into his side, throwing a leg over him and hugging him close. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder, and then his neck. “Next time we’ll use my room,” she laughed. “It’s bigger, and I don’t have to share it.” She nipped at his ear. “Unless I want to, that is.”

James felt some of his afterglow evaporate. He turned onto his side, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. Catching her eyes, he said, “I don’t know if there will be a next time, Lola. I’m going out with the raiding party tomorrow.”

“I know,” she answered, a look of confusion crossing her face. “It’s my team. Who do you think requested you for the raid?” She must have seen James’ surprise because her eyes widened. “Did you not know that?” He shook his head and her eyes softened. She reached up and stroked his cheek with a soft laugh. “Was this you saying goodbye? What, you thought you might never see me again?”

“It did cross my mind, yeah,” James admitted. Something close to hope was springing up inside of him. He hadn’t realized that she was leading this raid, but if she was…well, she had a damn good track record, now that he came to think about it.

“We’re coming back, James,” she promised, holding his gaze. She scooted forward, pressing a kiss to his lips. “And when we do, we’ll figure out what this,” she waved her hand between the two of them, “actually is, all right?”

“Sure thing.” He grinned and pulled her in for another kiss. Suddenly the odds of surviving this raid seemed _much_ better.


	10. Wheel of Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the actual prompt was "parody of another fandom" but I don't really do parody very well. So, I just flat out wrote it in another fandom, one that is very near and dear to my heart, the Wheel of Time. 
> 
> I actually think about this AU a lot, so it was fun to actually get to sit down and write a bit of it. ^_^ No real spoilers for WOT. Hopefully it's not too confusing for those unfamiliar with the series.

“Aes Sedai. Winnie.  _Please_. Bond me.”

She looked up at him, this hulking young man towering over her, pleading with her, and frowned. There were many reasons why it was a bad idea to bond him. For starters, they had only known one another for a few months. Hardly enough time to determine whether or not he would be a suitable Warder for her. What was a few more months to an Aes Sedai, after all? If she did bond him, his life would be extended as well. He could afford to be patient. Yet here he was, getting ahead of himself, insisting on being bonded already, refusing to wait. Impatient. Impertinent. Two more reasons she should deny him. She opened her mouth to do just that, but he spoke again before she could give voice to her thoughts.

“You told me yourself that you can’t go back to the White Tower. If you’re gonna keep moving, you need someone to watch your back,” he pressed. “The Illusive Man wasn’t happy when you escaped, and you know as well as I do he won’t stop looking for you. There are darkfriends everywhere, Aes Sedai, and you need the edge the bond gives you to keep out of their hands again. Tell me you don’t trust me with your life. Tell me that, straight on, in plain speak, and I won’t ask again, you have my word. Otherwise…”

Winnie sighed and turned away from him, folding her arms in front of her chest. She hugged herself tightly, hoping it would ease the pain in her heart. Letting her eyes drop shut, she turned her thoughts inward, reaching out for that bundle of awareness in the back of her mind. As if feeling her attention, the bundle seemed to bristle, then withdraw into a tighter ball. She sighed again. “I already have a Warder,” she whispered.

Behind her, she could hear James draw in a breath, as if to speak. She waited for the harsh words that were sure to follow, giving his opinion about Warders that abandoned their Aes Sedai, but the recrimination never came. Instead, she felt the weight of his hand on her shoulder. “You’re of the Green Ajah,” he reminded her. His voice was quiet, gentle. Another surprise, although she couldn’t say why. Every time she thought she understood him, he showed a new facet and set her to wondering once more. A frustrating man, this James Vega. But surely, the Creator must have brought him into her life for a reason.

She could lie. Could tell him she didn’t trust him at all, and that he should just abandon this foolish idea of becoming her Warder. But he thought she could do no such thing, bound by the oaths as she should have been. She hadn’t told him yet that she was no longer bound. It should be easy enough to say the words. But she could not make herself do it. Perhaps it was all those years of speaking only the truth. Perhaps it was because she feared he wouldn’t believe the lie even if she tried it, but she held her tongue. He did not move his hand, but nor did he speak. He just stood at her back, waiting. Well, at least this demonstrated that he was capable of patience, she supposed.

Buying time to think, she stretched out her hands, moving them in a familiar weave, calling forth a small ball of light, and then another, and another, letting them spin around the two of them in a circle. James did not so much as flinch at the display of  _saidar_. A rare thing, when Aes Sedai were treated with suspicion almost everywhere they traveled, and a point in his favor. She let the lights fade, unable to believe she was actually considering his request.

This was madness, it had to be. She had known Kaidan for over a year before it had even occurred to her to bond him. But if she was honest with herself, she’d been considering James as a Warder almost from the moment they met. He was right that she couldn’t continue to avoid the Illusive Man on her own, or better yet, stop him for good. She dared not return to Tar Valon without him in chains, severed from  _saidin_  and unable to hurt anyone else ever again. Oh how that rankled, but still it was the truth.

She just wished there was some way to be  _sure_ , before the bonding. After all, she had been certain that she knew Kaidan, could rely on him without question, and look how that had turned out. Bonded for a little over a month, and they had been captured by darkfriends. They had fought well, but it hadn’t been enough. The Illusive Man had sent enough channelers that they’d been overwhelmed. Anger welled up inside her at the memory. She tried to shake off the cold that crept upon her at the knowledge that she had seen proof that the Black Ajah existed with her very own eyes, but could not dare take it to the Amyrlin. Not when it meant trying to explain what had happened.

The Black sisters had forced Kaidan to watch as they tortured her to the point of stilling. She’d passed out from the shock of being severed from the source, and when she regained consciousness, she was alone, surrounded by the bodies of the darkfriends. Not one of them had a mark on them, which could only mean they’d been killed with the one power. Her eyes squeezed shut again and she drew in a breath.  _Kaidan_.

He’d thought her dead, he’d told her later, seeing her pass out at the same moment he lost awareness of her through the bond, and he’d been unable to hold back his own power. The darkfriends weren’t expecting that the Aes Sedai they had captured would have a male channeler as a Warder. They were wholly unprepared for his attack. The second it was done, he’d panicked and fled. By the time Winnie was able to look for him, he’d been long gone, and she’d had no way to find him without the bond. Weak and disoriented, she’d stumbled right into another group of darkfriends, and this time they’d taken her to the Illusive Man himself.

For two years he’d held her prisoner, grilling her without success about the tower, about the best ways to insinuate his own people into Tar Valon. Torture, then heal, torture, then heal. If he’d expected her to flinch at a male channeler, he’d been disappointed. But as far as she could tell, thank the Creator, he hadn’t realized Kaidan’s part in the deaths of his people. He thought she’d been stilled killing all of the darkfriends, and she was content to let him believe that.

Then, one day he’d come to her with a wide smile and suggested they try something new. And somehow, against all odds, he had Healed her connection with the one power. She’d almost wept for joy at being able to feel the warm glow of  _saidar_  once more. The Illusive Man had gloated and told Winnie that if she wanted to keep her power, she’d work for him from now on. But he’d underestimated her. Despite his many attempts to use Compulsion on her, she managed to throw him off and eventually escape, making her way straight for Kaidan, following the pull of his bond. Somehow, her stilling had not dissolved the bond, only cut off their ability to feel the connection.

But as soon as her power had been restored, so had her awareness of Kaidan. She’d found him in the Borderlands, practically in the Blight, fighting Shadowspawn with a reckless abandon that alarmed her. She’d expected him to meet her halfway, knowing he felt the bond again too, but he had, if anything, tried to move away as she sought him out. By the time she caught up with him, she was certain that his use of the power had awakened the madness brought on by  _saidin’s_  taint. But when she finally found him, he’d been calm, cool, rational. And he had looked upon her with distrust and suspicion. Even without the bond, she would have had no trouble detecting it. He only half listened to her explanation, and eventually she had realized he was  _afraid_. That she wasn’t the same as she’d been before. That the Illusive Man had changed her, somehow, corrupted her.

No, it wasn’t only for her own sake that she needed to stop the Illusive Man. Until she brought him down, or managed to prove that she was not his puppet, Kaidan was as lost to her as if he had died that day in the torture chamber.

She sighed and gave herself a bit of a shake, turning at last to face James. For once, he stood still, patient, calm. His normal exuberance curbed as he waited for her answer. Could she really risk it? Bond another Warder in the hope that somehow this time it would end better? Did she have much of a choice, if she meant to succeed in her quest?

“Very well,” she said, nodding once. “If you are certain this is what you want—”

Just like that, his calm was broken, and he was once more the James she had grown used to in their travels. He grinned and swept her up in a hug with a loud laugh, drawing an annoyed huff from Winnie, before dropping to his knees in front of her. She raised an eyebrow. It seemed he wished to be bonded this very instant. A small smile crept over her face and she nodded again, raising her hands and beginning the weave.

Once it was done, he stared up at her, eyes wide as the connection flooded through them. Winnie’s eyes widened too, as a wave of emotion from James washed over her. “Oh,” she breathed, reaching a hand out for his shoulder, trying to keep herself upright. The intensity of his feelings was overwhelming, but unmistakable. He  _loved_  her. But how could he? They’d known one another so short a time. “You should have told me,” she chided.

“Doesn’t matter,” he murmured, reaching up and pulling her down beside him, hugging her again. “I’m not gonna let it get in the way of what we need to do.” He reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and met her eyes, face serious. “I don’t need you to feel the same way. I just need you to let me fight for you. Fight  _with_  you.”

“James…” Winnie reached up a tentative hand, running a finger across his cheek. He meant it, by the light, he meant it. He’d be there for her no matter what. A feeling of calm she hadn’t felt since before being stilled fell over her and she smiled. She almost laughed at the way his eyes widened when she let a small burst of her own improbable emotions back through the bond to him. “Perhaps this will work out well, after all,” she said.

James laughed and pulled her close, placing a kiss on her forehead before standing and offering her a hand. “Good. Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s get started hunting that bastard down.”

“Yes, let’s,” Winnie agreed. “I think this Illusive Man needs to to be taught what a bad idea it is to meddle with an Aes Sedai of the Green Ajah.” She flashed a predatory grin at James. “It is not for nothing that we are known as the battle ajah, after all.”


	11. Slice of Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like to imagine that in whatever universe they live in, Winnie still bakes when she’s stressed and James still cooks something like 90% of their meals. 
> 
> Also, apparently, Winnie in a current day setting is a cop. She just is.

From the corner of her eye, Winnie saw James enter the kitchen and pause to take in the scene before him. She continued stirring the contents of the mixing bowl as he set down the bag of groceries in his hands and leaned back against the refrigerator door. “Day was like that, huh?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, yet,” Winnie answered, setting down her spoon and reaching for a smaller one.

“Okay.” He stepped away from the fridge and turned to open it, pulling out a few things and setting them down on the limited amount of counter space that was still free. “Am I gonna be crowding you?”

Winnie dropped another spoonful of dough onto the cookie sheet and brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “No,” she glanced up and frowned, noting the smirk on James’ face. Glancing at her hand, she saw that it was covered in flour.  _ Oh. _ She must have just gotten it in her hair. Sighing, she shook her head and offered him a wry smile. “I’ve only got one more batch to go. I should be out of your way soon.”

“You’re never in my way, Lola,” he answered, slipping a hand around her waist and pulling her close so that he could press a kiss to the top of her head. He surveyed the counters and shook his head. “That’s a lot of cookies though. Snickerdoodles, chocolate chip,  _ and _ cranberry oatmeal?”

“I’ll drop them off with Kaidan tomorrow morning,” she answered. “His students will eat them all.”

“Course they will,” James snorted. He reached out to scoot one rack of cooling cookies apart from the others. “But we’ll keep at least a few of them, right?”

“Sure,” Winnie laughed. She gave him a brief hug (transferring a fair amount of flour to his grey shirt) and pushed him away. “Now come on, let me finish spooning these out so I can get them in the oven.”

James stepped aside and turned back to his dinner preparations. A companionable silence fell over them and Winnie let herself get lost once more in the routine of baking, trying to sort out the day’s events. She knew that Anderson stepping down was not her fault, and that he had been the one to suggest she take over his position. But it still felt like she was stealing it, somehow. It felt wrong, to think about doing the job without him. She sighed and shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts.

She stole a glance at James while she worked and smiled to herself, grateful that he knew her well enough not to press for details until she was ready to talk. She’d tell him before the night was out, she just needed to sort through it for herself, first. That he understood that and respected it was just one of the many reasons why she loved him.

Before long, the last batch of cookies was ready to go in the oven, and dinner was bubbling away on the stove. James was humming to himself as stirred the pot and Winnie found herself humming along with him as she began cleaning up her mess. She got the dishes rinsed and lined up next to the sink, ready to be washed after dinner. Then she began putting away the cookie ingredients. She turned around from the cupboard and walked straight into James, who had been carrying two bottles of beer to the table. They both let out exclamations of surprise and the bottles went crashing to the floor, breaking open and spraying them both from the waist down.

They stared at each other for several long moments, mouths working but no words coming out. Then a timer went off and Winnie gave herself a little shake, rushing over to the oven. “That’s it for the cookies,” she managed, avoiding James’ gaze as she set the tray down to cool. She surveyed the earlier batches, relieved to see that none of them had been spattered by the beer. It would probably be frowned upon to send alcohol-laced cookies to a bunch of minors. Especially if it was a police officer who made them.

“Dinner’s ready, too,” James choked out.

Winnie finally made herself meet his eyes and they both burst into laughter together. She glanced down at her pants, and at his, then grabbed a paper towel to start mopping up the mess on the floor as James snagged two more beers from the fridge. She cleaned up while he got the table set and then they were both standing in the kitchen, staring at each other once more. “Pantsless dinner?” Winnie asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Looks like,” James agreed. He shucked out of his jeans, leaving on his boxers to Winnie’s profound disappointment, and gestured for her to do the same. She complied, tossing her pants to him. He disappeared into the bathroom, presumably hanging their pants up to dry out before they were tossed in the hamper. “Is it just me,” he asked as he came back out, “or are we making a habit of this sort of thing?”

Winnie laughed and pulled him down to her for a kiss. “Are you complaining?”

“Hell no!” James nipped at her ear and then turned her toward the table, giving her a gentle nudge. “I’m just trying to figure out how the two of us are so clumsy when we’re around each other.”

Winnie gave him a playful swat on the ass as she settled in her seat and he moved to take his own. “Kitchen’s too damned small,” she said, picking up her fork.

He grunted and took a swig of his beer, giving her an appraising look. “Sure, that’s it.”

Winnie winked at him and took a sip of her own drink. Then she raised her bottle, holding it over the middle of the table. James did the same, clinking it against hers in a toast. “Cheers to pantsless dinners,” Winnie said, drawing a laugh from James.

“And to post-dinner showers together?” he added hopefully.

Winnie clinked her bottle against his one more time and then took a deep drink. “You’re on.”


	12. Deserted Island

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to do on a deserted island, really. So, uh, this one gets a bit not safe for work. ^_^

“This is not good.” Winnie frowned and stared out at the sea. “This is so very not good.”

“Could be worse.” James shrugged when she shot him a dirty look full of doubt. “At least we managed to find land,” he said with a grin.

She sighed, pushing a damp lock of hair behind her ear. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Maybe?”

“Oh,  _ fine _ . You’re right.” She rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the beach and the trees beyond. “It  _ could _ be worse. But it’s still pretty bad.” She sighed again, eyes scanning their surroundings. “Let’s take an inventory of everything we have on us, then start looking around. Maybe we can find shelter or build one before night falls. Then we’ll start trying to figure out what we can actually do about this situation.”

“Whoa, Lola, not so fast,” James said, holding his hands up in front of him. “I think the  _ first _ thing we need to do is get out of these wet clothes.” He winked and pulled off his shirt, hands dropping to the fly of his jeans next.

“ _ James _ ,” Winnie huffed, not even bothering to hide her exasperation. But her eyes followed his movements closely, and he caught the hint of a smile at the edges of her mouth. “We are shipwrecked,” she tried, “in case it’s escaped your notice.”

“Oh, I noticed, and we’ll need to figure out a way off this island eventually. But come on, an hour or so won’t hurt. Besides, wouldn’t want our attempts to get rescued interrupted by one of us coming down with a cold, now, would we?” James waggled his eyebrows and kicked off his boxers. He made a show of bending down to pick up all of his clothes and spread them out in a patch of sunlight where they might dry faster. Glancing over his shoulder, he caught Winnie giving his ass an appraising look. He straightened and turned back to her, holding out a hand. “Your turn.”

She laughed and shook her head. “All right, all right.”

She began stripping too, tossing each item of clothing at him as it came off. James caught them all and took a moment to admire her nakedness before spreading her clothes out next to his own. This time when he stood and turned around, she was right behind him. She looked a little more relaxed, but still worried. “Hey, c’mere, Lola.” He gathered her up in his arms and rested his chin on top of her head, squeezing her tightly in a hug. “It’s going to be okay. We’ve both got survival training. We’ll last until a search party comes, and you know they will. We weren’t in that storm for more than a few hours, we can’t have drifted too far off course. I’m sure the rental company keeps an eye on the weather and has some sort of protocol in place for when their boats don’t come back after a storm.” She squeezed him back and he could feel her nodding against his chest. “We’ll be okay,” he repeated.

“This just wasn’t how I imagined our first vacation together going at all,” she said in a small voice.

“Totally how I pictured it,” James laughed.

She pulled back and narrowed her eyes at him. “You wanted us to get shipwrecked on some deserted island?”

“Nah, that part I could do without. But the part where it’s you and me, all alone with no interruptions,” he let one hand slide down to cup her ass, “and no clothes? Yeah, that is  _ exactly _ what I was hoping for.”

Winnie stared at him for a long moment. Then she burst out laughing and closed the distance between them, kissing him. “You,” she said as they broke apart, “are a hopeless romantic.”

“Maybe I am,” he shrugged and leaned down to kiss her in return. “Is that such a problem?”

“Not at all.” She gave him a smile, one of those soft, sweet ones he so rarely saw, the ones meant only for him.

He melted a bit inside and pulled her close for a hard hug. “Good.” His voice came out rough, and he cleared his throat. “So what do you say we celebrate still being alive a little, before we get down to the business of escape?”

“If you insist.” She rolled her eyes again, but he could see she was just teasing him this time. Some of her tension had drained, and he was glad. He had meant what he’d said: they could survive this, and they would. But there was no point in freaking out about it just yet, and seeing her panicked hurt something inside of him in a way he didn’t even know how to express. He reached up and pushed a lock of hair out of her face, laughing when it fell right back over her eye. She sighed and reached up, tugging out the tie that held what remained of her ponytail, slipping it over her wrist. She started to comb her hair out with her fingers but James laughed again and reached out for her hands. “Think we’re gonna just mess it up again.”

“Hmm. Point.” She nodded and tilted her head, giving him another appraising look. A slow smile moved across her face and a predatory gleam lit up her eyes. “Come on then, I think we’ve got some celebrating to do.”

James dropped his hands to her hips and leaned down to kiss her, letting himself shut out everything else except for Winnie. She tasted like the sea, and he smiled against her lips. Standing so close to her, with nothing between them, he was already half hard, but as she kissed him back--hands roaming across his chest, his waist, his ass--his cock became fully erect. He sank down to his knees, urging her down with him, pulling them both to the ground, knee pressing her legs apart. He bit at her collarbone, noting the briny taste of her skin. Was she the sea all over? Curious, he licked his way down between her breasts, mouthing at each, toying with her nipples, causing her to arch her back and cry out. Her hands tightened on his sides and he smiled, moving to make his way down further. She cried out again, burying her hands into the short brush of hair atop his head as he worked his tongue inside of her. Less of the sea and more… _ Winnie _ , here, he thought with a smile. He moved his tongue to her clit, pushing two fingers inside of her, thrusting and curling, adding another. Her fingers tightened in his hair, a short burst of pain as she came, his name on her lips.

He backed off, slowing his fingers, easing her back down, kissing lines up the insides of her thighs before withdrawing altogether. He moved up to settle on top of her but she stopped him with a hand pressed lightly against his chest. “Give me a minute,” she said, her breathing still ragged. “I want to be on top.”

“Sure thing, Lola.” He kissed her shoulder and then rolled to the side, propped up on one elbow as he watched her try to regain control.

A smirk bent his lips at the sight of her, knowing he had managed to make her come undone like this, that he was the only one who got to see her that way. He reached out to trail his fingers along her jaw and she gave him another of those soft smiles, turning her face to kiss his palm. Then she laughed and in a blur of motion pounced, pushing him onto his back and swinging a leg across him. She reached for his cock, giving him a few long, hard strokes before lining herself up and sinking down on top of him. Now James was the one crying out, and Winnie laughed as she moved, until she was gasping, coming again when James moved his fingers up to play with her clit. He didn’t last long after that, vision whiting out when he came as well. He blinked, trying to clear his eyes, and Winnie swam into focus, a wide grin on her face as she leaned down to kiss him. She climbed off him and snuggled up into his side, placing a kiss on his shoulder.

“We are going to have sand in all sorts of unfortunate places after that,” she remarked with a sigh.

“Worth it,” James declared. He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. “ _ This _ is a vacation, Lola, don’t you think?”

She laughed and he could feel her shake her head. “Wow, I am never letting you plan a vacation ever again.”

He tried not to think about the fact that they might not get the chance to plan any more vacations. A companionable silence fell over them, and he suspected her thoughts were following the same lines. He pulled her a little closer and tried to push his worries aside. Maybe they were in real trouble, and maybe they weren’t. For now though, all he wanted to focus on was the woman at his side.


	13. Buddy Cops/Detectives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What was that I was saying the other day about Winnie always being a cop? Heh. Though James as her partner was something I had to really think about. So I ended up with how that came about, rather than something after the partnership was already established.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me.” Winnie stopped short in the doorway, staring at the man that Anderson had pointed out as her new partner.

A rich chuckle sounded behind her, rolling around her and through the doorway as he clapped her on the shoulder. “Come on, Shepard, give him a try. He’s a good kid, it won’t be that bad.”

“Kid” was certainly right. She shook her head, eyes narrowing as she took in Detective Vega. He was young, and had that fresh eyed look of someone who hadn’t been out of the academy very long. She frowned. Which wasn’t possible, really. Because there was no way Anderson would have brought him up into Homicide if he hadn’t done his time as a beat cop, and she was sure as hell he wouldn’t be assigning some green rookie to work with her. Her lips pursed and she looked him over again, more closely this time. He was leaning up against a wall of file cabinets, chatting with one of the other detectives that Winnie didn’t know. She thought the other guy’s name was Cortez, but wouldn’t swear to it.

Vega was holding himself with an impressive kind of grace, given his size. The guy was massive, and he had a decent amount of scars to go with his bulk, suggesting he’d seen his fair share of fighting. But before or after joining the force? Had to be before, she mused. Anderson didn’t have any time for detectives who went in for excessive force. If Vega liked to rough up suspects, he wouldn’t be here. But it  _ did _ seem likely he’d be able to hold his own in a fight, if it came to that. Winnie found the notion reassuring, to her surprise. It wasn’t as if she couldn’t hold her own as well, but because she was small, people had a tendency to underestimate her. In general, she excelled in using that to her advantage, though the circumstances behind her her recent leave had proven that the element of surprise wasn’t always enough. Sometimes it paid to have someone at your back, just in case. She could see the benefits to having a partner she knew she could rely on, if she again found herself up against more than she could handle. She rubbed at her shoulder without thinking, and a small part of her wondered if that had anything to do with why Anderson had paired them up. She quickly dismissed the thought. Anderson wasn’t that kind of leader. If he was putting them together, then it was because he thought they’d make a good team, end of story. Still, she couldn’t help but wish for her old partner back.

“I still don’t see why I can’t work with Kaidan again,” she grumbled, stepping aside to allow Anderson out of the office.

Anderson sighed and shook his head. “We’ve been over this, Shepard. Alenko transferred to the academy, teaching full time. He said he’s done with field work.” He shot Winnie a sympathetic glance. “Maybe he’ll get bored with it and come back, you never know. But in the mean time, you need a partner, and Vega’s it.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, trying not to sound too grudging.

Anderson clapped her on the shoulder again and then called out to Vega, leading her over to the other side of the room. Vega grinned when he saw them and said something to Cortez before making his way over, meeting them in the middle. Winnie couldn’t help but smile at that. He practically bounced as Anderson introduced them, and she was taken aback by Vega’s eagerness. A few years ago, it would have annoyed her. But now, well, she could admit that it was nice to have someone who didn’t seem to be looking at her with suspicion, just waiting for her to fuck up again. Probably that  _ had _ been part of Anderson’s decision process, but Winnie doubted it was the driving force. She hoped not, at least. Vega offered her a hand and she shook it, trying not to wince at his grip.

“I’m excited to be working together,” Vega said. “You’ve pulled off some impressive collars.”

“Ah, thanks,” Winnie returned, trying not to blush. “Didn’t do any of ‘em on my own though.” She cleared her throat, glancing back at Anderson. “Do we have a case yet, sir?”

“Nothing at the moment, just some paperwork.” He smirked at Winnie’s grimace, then handed her something she hadn’t realized he’d been carrying. She glanced down at the pistol in her hand, and her whole body relaxed a fraction. How long since she’d had her service weapon? Anderson’s chuckle drew her attention back to him and he winked at her. “Or, if paperwork’s not enticing at the moment, you and Vega could head down to the shooting range for a bit, get a feel for each other’s strengths.”

She glanced at James and saw that his eyes had lit up at the suggestion. A smile spread across her face and she gave Anderson a grateful look. “Thanks, sir. I think that’s an excellent idea.”

“Good. I’ll leave you two to it, then.” He turned and headed back to his office, leaving Winnie and James staring at each other in silence.

After a long moment James shot her a grin and threw an arm around her shoulders, turning her for the door. “Come on, partner, let’s go shoot shit!”

Winnie laughed, shaking her head and letting him lead her to the elevators. It was strange to hear him call her partner, but…not that bad really. Maybe she could get used to this after all.


	14. Allegiance Swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was stumped at first about how to write Winnie and James as bad guys. Winnie might be cranky, but she’s more or less a straight ahead paragon Shep. Still, once the idea struck, I had a lot of fun with it. It seems like no matter what universe they’re in, James is never not going to find Winnie attractive at wildly inappropriate times. 
> 
> Also, apparently these fics are a way for me to let out some of my dislike of Udina. I’d almost feel sorry for the abuse he’s been getting, but, well, Udina. Guess I’m channeling Winnie a bit there. She never did trust that guy.

“You’re in my way, Muscles.”

James went very still, biting back a curse. Something hard and cold was pressed into the back of his neck, and it didn’t take a genius to realize that something was the barrel of a gun. The only real question was who was holding said gun. He could think of two possibilities. Either it was someone on his mark’s security team, or—

“This is the third time this week.”

Right. The other assassin it was, then. It hadn’t taken very long into the job before he realized that someone else was gunning for his target. He’d hoped he could get the job done and get out without running into them, but it seemed that option was out now. He cleared his throat, trying to think of a flippant remark, some joke that would buy him a few more seconds to figure a way to turn the situation to his advantage. But again she beat him to it.

“I think maybe it’s time you and I have a little chat.”

The gun pressed into him a little harder and he felt a lighter pressure on his arm, guiding him to turn for the door that led down off the roof. Her hand, he guessed, though it felt smaller than he would have expected. His brow furrowed as he let himself be moved. If his suspicions about his competitor’s identity were correct, then her lyrical voice and small hands were adding up to a somewhat surprising picture. Still, that voice might be lyrical, but it was hard, annoyed, and the gun pressed into him spoke plenty loud. She didn’t need to be using much pressure on his arm with that in play. He could probably get away, but not without killing her or pissing her off. He didn’t kill anyone unless he was being paid to do it, and in his line of work, making enemies of the competition was a bad idea. Besides, if she really was who he thought, then he might be overestimating his chances of escape anyway. Best to just do what she said for now and see where this went.

Once inside, she directed him to the elevator, telling him to press the button. He caught a glimpse of her in the reflection of the metal doors before they opened, and he couldn’t stop the widening of his eyes. He hadn’t seen much but dark slanted eyes and dark hair piled into a neat bun on top of her head, which only just came past his shoulders. How could someone so tiny have such a fearsome reputation? 

In the elevator, she finally stepped away from him, keeping her eyes and gun on him as she turned to stand at his side. She took her hand off of his shoulder to press at the bank of buttons without looking, and the elevator began moving down. James took advantage of their new positions to get a better look at her, as much to assess his current situation as from curiosity. She was dressed for stealth, but in attire that probably wouldn’t draw too much attention when moving through public areas. Black jeans tucked into tall black leather boots and a fitted black turtleneck sweater all worked together to make her slight frame seem even smaller. The only thing that really seemed out of place, well, aside from the gun, were her gloves. But it was a cool night, and even those probably wouldn’t be remarked upon by anyone that noticed them.

Most women of her stature took one look at James and crossed to the other side of the street, but this one just stared him down, full of confidence that she was in control of the situation. James didn’t think it was just the gun, either. She knew she could deal with whatever he might try, and she wasn’t even one bit worried he’d get the upper hand. Normally that might leave James feeling a bit insulted, but instead he found himself more than a little turned on. It didn’t hurt that she was gorgeous. His eyes landed on the spray of freckles across her nose and cheeks and he laughed, shaking his head.  _ Damn Vega, get it together. Any second now she could decide it’s not worth it to question you and pull the trigger. Noticing how hot she is is a  _ bad _ idea. _

“What?” She narrowed her eyes at his laughter.

“I’m sorry, you’re just not what I expected the legendary Shepard to be like.”

She tilted her head, lips pursing, giving him a close look. A small smile flashed across her face, there and gone again in a second, and she lowered her gun at last. “So, you know who I am. Does that mean I don’t have to worry about you doing anything stupid?”

“At least until you decide whether you’re gonna kill me or not, yeah.”

“That’s up to you,” she shrugged, smiling at James’ puzzled expression. The elevator came to a stop, soft chimes sounding as the door slid open. Shepard made her gun disappear and slipped an arm through one of his, pulling him into the hallway. “Well, come on Muscles. Let’s go talk.”

James started at the contact, but then caught sight of a security camera and understood. Belatedly, he glanced back into the elevator, looking for its camera as the doors shut again. He wasn’t even a little bit surprised to see that its indicator light was off. Shepard had probably hijacked the signal before coming up to the roof. Which suggested she had known he was up there. Damn. 

She led him to a room and pulled out a plain plastic card—he guessed it was probably a cloned master key, she was known for her hacking skills—opening the door and ushering him inside. James looked around as he walked in, noting the wide open curtains with a clear view of their mark’s tower, as well as the sleek laptop—closed, he saw—and surveillance gear on the desk in front of the window. He ambled over to the bed and dropped down onto it, leaning back on his hands and trying to illustrate as little threat as possible.

Shepard walked to the desk and drummed her fingers on it, staring out the window for a minute, lips pursed again. James caught himself wondering what it would be like to kiss her. He immediately tried to wrestle those thoughts down. Shepard turned back to him and leaned against the desk, crossing her arms over her chest and staring down at him. “Who hired you to go after Udina?”

James shrugged, not bothering to deny his mark. She wasn’t stupid, and she wouldn’t have confronted him if she didn’t know they were chasing the same target. “I doubt it’s the same people who hired you. It’s not like Udina’s got a lack of enemies.” He winked, “And I don’t think my employer could afford you.”

Shepard snorted and rolled her eyes. “Maybe not, but I’d still like to know I’m not being double crossed.”

James hesitated. He didn’t like the idea of giving up his client’s information. But…better that than his life, which he was starting to think he might manage to walk away from this with. He sighed and shrugged again. “Salarian Corporations,” he admitted.

Shepard’s eyebrows shot up. “Huh. I didn’t realize they played dirty pool.”

“I think you underestimate how badly Udina screwed them over with that last round of legislation,” he said. She nodded her head absently, and he could tell she was thinking over the situation. He sat up, leaning forward a little. “Not your guys, then?”

“No,” she agreed. “Not mine.”

“So, what do we do now?”

She looked at him in surprise, and then understanding flooded across her face. She sighed and pulled out the chair at the desk, slumping into it and giving him a strange look. “I’m honestly not sure. I’ve only run into another assassin on the same job twice, and both times I managed to get it done while they were still plotting.” She shook her head and shot him a bemused smile. “You’re better than they were.”

James tried not to grin at the compliment. He fought down the rush of giddiness and tried for a casual voice as he suggested, “We could work together.” She blinked and he leaned forward, trying to convince her. “Job gets done, both our clients get what they want, we both get paid. Everyone’s happy. Well, except Udina, but fuck that guy.”

Shepard snorted and James caught the hint of a smile. He wondered if she’d agreed to the job as quickly as he had. There was a reason more than one group was looking into having the guy assassinated. He was a world class asshole. Even James was appalled at some of the shit Udina had pulled, and coming from a professional hit man, he thought that had to carry some weight.

Shepard gave him an appraising look. “You’re Vega, right?” James blinked, surprised she’d heard of him, and he nodded. She shook her head slowly. “I don’t know. We’ve got different styles. Your MO tends to be blowing shit up, and that’s not how I work. Our employers are bound to notice that kind of discrepancy and ask questions.”

James wasn’t so sure. At least, not about his contact at Salarian Corporations. She hadn’t seemed like the sort who worried about how the job was done, just wanted to see that it  _ was _ done. “You use explosions sometimes,” he tried.

“Small bangs,” she said, “and not for the actual hit, just to get in and out or destroy evidence.”

“I can do precision,” he argued. “You’re stuck on a way in, right? Let me help you with that.” She had to be stuck, he figured, or she would have done the job already. She definitely wouldn’t be bothering with James otherwise.

“Maybe…”

“I won’t take credit for the kill with anyone but my employers. It can be just another entry in the Shepard legend.”

She laughed and shook her head, standing up and turning to stare out the window. After a moment she sighed. “This one is a bit more personal than I tend to take on, I’ll admit.” She looked at James over her shoulder, face thoughtful. “I could probably use another perspective.” She drew a deep breath and turned back to him, holding out a hand. “All right then, you have a deal. We’ll work together on this one.” James took her hand, shaking it, and she squeezed his tightly, leaning in. “But if you screw me over, I will end you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he breathed, trying to ignore his racing heart and hoping she couldn’t hear it. Surely it was pounding loud enough. How a woman could terrify him and turn him so much at the same time was beyond him. She dropped his hand and straightened up, a smirk on her face. He wondered if she knew what he’d been thinking. “So,” he said, trying to get his mind back on track. “Where do we start?”


	15. Presentation Swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I don’t think I’ve actually ever considered writing a presentation swap before, though I can think of several I have enjoyed reading. This one was definitely a bit of a challenge. I hope I did Winnie and James justice as Winston and Jemma. I tried very much to keep most of what made them *them* still intact. 
> 
> Also, heads up for smut in this one!

“Welcome back, Commander. Lieutenant Vega arrived while you were out. She is in the exercise room.”

“Thanks Glyph,” Winston grinned at the little drone and turned his feet toward the back of the apartment.

Jemma was just where Glyph had said she’d be, doing pull-ups from the bar across the closet doorway. She’d been here for a while, he thought, noticing that she had kicked off her shoes and socks, the black polish on her toes gleaming in the low light of the room. All she wore were her BDU pants and a sports bra. She noticed Winston’s arrival and caught his appraisal, smirking at him in greeting, but did not stop what she was doing. Winston leaned against the opposite wall, arms crossed over his chest, watching Jemma’s movements. His eyes traced the planes of her stomach, the flex of her arms, and a warm feeling spread throughout him. Contentment? Lust? A little of both, he thought.

His mind flashed back to a few nights before, to the sight of her in the dress she’d worn while they were infiltrating the party. Winston had been hard pressed to keep his hands to himself and his mind on his mission when presented with Jemma in that dress. Covered up as she’d been by the soft black material—with sleeves down to her elbows and a modest neckline, topped off with a blue and white scarf to keep most of her tattoos hidden in the interest of maintaining a low profile—the dress had still managed to highlight all of the curves that Winston spent a good deal of time trying not to notice. Tricky when she so often wandered around the shuttle bay dressed as she was now (though at least with her boots still on), less so when she was decked out in all of her armor. But downright impossible when she was in that dress. He’d spent most of the mission with the idea in the back of his mind that once it was over, he was going to have quite a lot of fun getting her out of the dress again. Of course, then everything had gone pear shaped, like it always did, and he’d never had the chance. He sighed and tried to shake off the memory, perking up at the realization that they had the whole night to themselves  _ now _ at least.

“What’s up with the thousand yard stare, Loco?” Jemma dropped from the bar and came to sit next to him. “Where are you at?”

“Was just thinking about you in that dress the other night,” Winston admitted, sliding down to sit as well. “Can’t  _ stop _ thinking about it, really.”

Jemma snorted and rolled her eyes. “Don’t know why.” She ran a hand through the short brush of dark hair on the top of her head, giving him a puzzled look. “I must have looked ridiculous.  _ Felt _ ridiculous.”

“You looked beautiful,” Winston breathed. He scooted closer, putting a hand on her knee. “Just like you always do. It was just…different, I guess. I’ve never seen you in a dress before. Never really pictured you wearing one.”

“That’s because dresses aren’t my thing,” she snorted. “Besides, I don’t see what the big deal is. You’ve seen me in a lot  _ less _ than that before.” She winked at him and Winston couldn’t help but laugh.

“It was just a different side of you,” he answered with a shrug. “I liked getting to see it. I always like getting to see new sides of you.” He didn’t realize until Jemma laughed just how that could be taken, and he blushed at her guffaw. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “I just meant—”

“You really are loco, aren’t you, Loco?” Jemma shook her head and held out a hand to him, pulling him in to sit in her lap. Winston settled back against her with a happy sigh and she laughed again, but softly this time. “You looked pretty good in that suit, too, if we’re admitting things,” she said after a moment.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She pressed a kiss to the side of his neck, one hand sliding to his thigh, rubbing light circles against it. “Probably best if we avoid doing a lot of undercover work together in the future. I think we’re both liable to get too distracted.” She turned his face with her free hand, tilting it up so she could kiss the tip of his nose. Her eyes were soft and warm when she added, “You are  _ such _ a distraction, Loco.”

“I don’t mean to be.” His breath caught as Jemma’s other hand moved up to his fly, undoing the button so she could slip her hand into his pants.

“’S okay,” Jemma murmured. “We still get the job done.”

“That’s because,” his voice hitched as she wrapped her fingers around his cock, “we make a good team,” he managed. He craned his upper body around, reaching for her face and pulling her close so he could kiss her. She hummed happily and he smiled against her lips before pulling back, placing a hand on her wrist to still her movements. “Jemma, there’s a bed right over there, you know.”

She laughed and kissed the tip of his nose again. “I’m fine right here,” she teased, giving his cock another stroke.

Winston moaned. “But I can’t  _ see _ you like this.”

“Hell, how’s a girl supposed to say no to that?” She chuckled, then slid her hand free, moving to her feet in a fluid motion, pulling him up as she went. “Okay, Loco, the bed it is.”

Winston grinned and stepped up to her, wrapping his arms around her neck and standing on the tips of his toes so he could kiss her again. Then he dropped his arms to her waist and squeezed her in a brief hug before nudging her toward the bed. When she was standing beside it, Winston slipped his fingers under the edge of her bra, pushing it up and over her breasts, leaning forward to kiss and lick at each one. Jemma sighed and finished removing her bra while he played, arching into his mouth with a pleased hum. She reached for his hair and pulled out the tie that held it up in a messy bun at the back of his head, running her fingers through it and leaning down to kiss the top of his head. Winston slid down to his knees, hands going to the button of her pants, undoing them and sliding them over her hips, pushing them down her legs and urging her to step out of them. He repeated the process with her panties, leaning forward to kiss her between her legs, urging her to sit on the edge of the bed and lean back, tongue sliding inside of her alongside nimble fingers.

“Damn, Loco,” she breathed, jolting when he laughed against her clit. She sat up, pulling at his shoulders, urging him back to his feet. “Come on, need to get you out of those clothes.”

Between the two of them, Winston was soon naked as well, and Jemma pulled him down to the bed, scooting into the middle of it as he settled on top of her. He slid into her with a groan and she grabbed at his ass, fingers tightening as he thrust inside of her. Probably that would leave bruises, but he didn’t care. He liked the idea of having her mark on him.

Afterward, they curled up together, one of the blankets pulled up over them, and Winston trailed his fingers along Jemma’s tattoos while she toyed with his hair. “We do make a good team, don’t we, Loco?”

“We do,” Winston replied with a grin, stretching up to kiss her. “The very best.”


	16. Superheroes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This challenge is bringing out all of these feelings about Conrad Verner I did not know Winnie (I?) had. She is definitely fond of the guy, if exasperated by him. I think she sees him a little bit like a goofy kid brother. So, yeah. Learn something new every day.

“I’m telling you, Vega, you should have seen it!”

Winnie cringed as Conrad’s voice carried through the open door.  _ Oh no _ , she thought, hurrying to finish her task,  _ not James! _ It was bad enough that she had to listen to Conrad all day long, but when he managed to rope customers into his fanaticism, it was downright embarrassing. But the very last person on the planet that she needed him rambling to was James. What if James didn’t care about Conrad’s favorite subject? Or worse, what if he was just as much a fan? Winnie didn’t know which one she was more afraid of. Best to get back out there and break up the conversation before she had to find out. She grabbed the last tray of danishes from the oven and raced out of the kitchen. She emerged into the front of the bakery just in time to hear Conrad regaling James with his hero’s latest exploits.

“Conrad, knock it off,” she said, trying to keep her voice light. “I’m sure James doesn’t want to hear a play by play of the Spectre’s last run in with Udina.”

“Why wouldn’t he?” Conrad turned wide eyes on her, genuinely puzzled by this assertion. “Who doesn’t want to hear about the Spectre? She’s the best!”

“She’s all right,” James said with a smirk. “Could do with a sidekick, though.”

“The Spectre does  _ not _ need a sidekick,” Conrad huffed. He looked like a puppy that had just been kicked. It was almost enough to make Winnie feel sorry for him. Almost. He fixed James with a narrow glare and jutted out his chin, asserting, “She is  _ brilliant _ . She can fly, and she has all of those cool gadgets. I mean, have you seen the drones she uses? You know she makes those herself! She admitted as much to Emily Wong last month. And she’s  _ strong _ . She took out that whole Collectors ship by herself earlier this year, just blew the thing right out of the sky!” He made a gesture to indicate an explosion and Winnie winced. Conrad was starting to get that glint in his eyes that meant a rant was imminent. “She even lured it out over open water first, to prevent civilian casualties. She is the  _ best _ superhero.” His face took on a dreamy look. “Not to mention how beautiful she is—”

“Okay, Conrad, that’s enough.” The tips of her ears were burning and she hoped with all her heart that she wasn’t blushing. How the hell was she supposed to explain it if she was?

“But Shepard—” He glanced over at James and gave a mulish sort of nod. “The Spectre doesn’t need a sidekick, okay, that’s all I’m saying.”

“Didn’t say she needed one,” James pointed out, cocking an eyebrow. “Just said she could maybe use one.” He shrugged, adding, “Everyone could use someone to have their back.” He winked at Winnie, “Maybe someone with some brawn would be a good compliment to all those brains of hers. What do you think, Lola?”

She sighed and shook her her head, setting the tray of danishes on the counter. “I think I’m tired of hearing people talk about the Spectre.”

“Yeah,” James gave her a long look that made her stomach turn in a lazy flip. “Guess I can see where you would be.” After a second, he grinned and nodded his head toward Conrad, who just huffed and crossed his arms.

Looking between the two of them, Winnie thought it might be a good idea to break up the tension. She certainly wasn’t about to chase James out. Aside from being a paying customer, she looked forward to his daily visits more than she cared to admit. He’d asked her out twice, and so far she’d turned him down—it was a bad idea for someone in her position to get romantically entangled, or so she kept trying to convince herself—but that didn’t mean she didn’t enjoy his company. So, that meant Conrad needed to be elsewhere for a bit. Winnie took off the oven mitts on her hands and planted them on his back, giving him a push toward the door to the kitchen. “Come on, there’s work to do. Those dishes aren’t going to wash themselves.”

Conrad went, grumbling the whole way, and Winnie caught the distinct sound of the words “the Spectre works  _ alone _ ” before she swung the door shut behind him. She sighed and shook her head, turning back to James. At least she didn’t have to fake the smile she gave him. “So, would you like your usual today, or did you want to try something different?”

“The usual for the other guys,” he said, moving down the length of the counter to lean on it as she started gathering up donuts. He came in every morning during his break to pick up a batch for his coworkers. He was a security guard at the building across the street, and liked to have a little bit of sugar at the end of his shift before heading home to crash. When the other guards had noticed his habit, he had told Winnie he might as well share, and started getting enough for everyone. As Winnie closed the lid on the box, James gestured to the tray of danishes she had brought up front with her, still resting on the metal counter top. “Throw in a couple of those for me, they smell amazing.” He gave her a warm smile and this time she knew she  _ was _ blushing.

“Of course.” She touched the side of the tray gingerly. It was still hot to the touch so she grabbed a thick cloth to protect her hand while she held onto it, transferring two of the danishes into a box for James and then putting the rest in the display case with a pair of tongs. Then she moved the tray to the counter behind her and bagged James’ order, ringing him up at the register.

James placed a palm on the counter where the danishes had been, leaning forward a bit with a hopeful look on his face. “So, I know you’ve turned me down twice, and I should probably get the hint,” he paused and sucked in a breath, giving Winnie a look as if waiting for her to stop him. When she didn’t, he went on, “But I also know that nights aren’t really a good time for you—”

“What makes you think that?” Winnie blurted out, turning even redder.

James raised an eyebrow and a smirk crossed his face. “Well, I assume you’ve got to get up at ass o’clock to make all of these,” he waved his free hand at the display counter, “which means you tend to turn in early.”

He sounded far too innocent when he said that, and the look he was giving her was more knowing than Winnie was comfortable with. He couldn’t possibly suspect, could he? Still, it was a logical explanation, and close enough to the truth, so she grasped at it. “Right! I do have to get up early! Nights, yeah, nights are a bad time to do things…” She trailed off, realizing where he had been going with the discussion. “Oh! Are you asking me out again?”

“Well, yeah, Lola. I mean, if you’re interested. If you’re not, last time, I promise. But I thought maybe we could try for a late lunch? You close at two, and I get off my shift at one. I could swing by and pick you up?” He faltered a bit when he caught Winnie staring at him and now he was the one blushing. It was really cute on him, actually. He cleared his throat and added, “Or I could just go away and stop bugging you.”

“No!” Winnie slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes closing in embarrassment.  _ Damn it, Shep, get it together. _ She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, dropping her hand and giving him a shaky smile. “Lunch would be nice. I would like that.”

“Oh, good.” He gave her a sheepish grin and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper. “But, um, just in case you change your mind, here’s my number so you can let me know.”

“I’m not going to change my mind, James,” she couldn’t help but laugh. Yeah, dating was a bad idea, but being alone sucked. Besides, the way he had looked at her when he said nights were a bad time for her…maybe worrying about him finding out her secret was a ship that had already sailed. She should at least find out if her suspicions on that front were correct or not. “But I’ll take your number anyway.”

She leaned forward to take the paper and her elbow brushed against the counter. She jumped back with a yelp, looking at the angry red spot left behind when her skin had touched the heated metal. The danish pan must have been hotter than she thought. Damn, she knew metal counters were a bad idea.

“Shit, are you okay?” James leaned forward even further and Winnie looked up at him, meeting his eyes. Then, slowly, she dropped them down to his hand, still pressed flat against the metal where the hot pan had rested. He followed her glance and pulled his hand back, quickly shoving it into his pocket.

“Are you?” Winnie raised an eyebrow at him.

“Ah, I’m fine,” he tried to wave it off, grabbing at his bag of donuts and walking backwards toward the door. “Thick skin. I’ll, um, I’ll see you this afternoon, yeah?”

“I’ll be looking forward to it,” Winnie said. James cleared his throat and tried for a smile. Reaching the door, he turned and fled. Winnie watched him hurry across the street through the window, a considering look on her face. Her elbow still throbbed from where she’d burned it.  _ Well _ , she mused,  _ I certainly don’t need a sidekick. But it looks like maybe James and I have more in common than I thought. Someone with some brawn, indeed. _ A smile spread across her face.  _ Maybe this date isn’t such a bad idea after all. _


	17. Gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so, Winnie is an Earthborn Shepard, but she was never actually part of the Reds in my headcanon for her. She kind of got roped into helping them unwittingly, and when she found out, did her best to take a lot of them down. So this was definitely an interesting challenge. I had to channel her angry side. And Angry!Winnie is definitely angry about a lot of things in her life.
> 
> But she's also still extremely protective of her crew, even a new guy like James. I don't care what 'verse you're in, you don't mess with Shepard's crew without regretting it. 
> 
> This one is mostly Winnie and less Winnie and James, though meeting him serves as the catalyst for the scene, and sets up the path for them to get together eventually I think. 
> 
> It does get a bit violent at the end, just a heads up.

“What the hell were you thinking, Shepard?” Udina leaned forward, getting right in her face, voice loud enough to be heard through the closed door. No doubt that was his intention. He would want to make sure the whole gang knew he wouldn’t tolerate any challenge to his authority. He probably wanted to get a reaction out of her, as well, hoping she’d give him an excuse to make an example of her.

Winnie didn’t feel like rising to his bait. She met his eyes and held them, answering in a low, calm voice. “I was thinking that we could use some extra muscle these days, considering how many people we’ve lost lately.”

“Oh, were you, now?” Udina scowled and leaned back. He raised his voice again when he continued, for the benefit of his unseen audience. “Well I don’t care what you thought! You can’t just go bringing in any thug you find on the street. The Reds are elite! We only take in the best.” He slammed a fist on his desk for emphasis.

“James can hold his own,” Winnie insisted, fighting to keep her volume at a reasonable level. Why did Udina have to be the one who survived? Much better to still have Anderson in charge. Ever since he’d been gunned down, things in the gang had gone to hell, and considering what they were starting with, that was saying something. “I saw him fight. He’ll be a good fit here.” She bit her lip, hesitating before adding, “Besides, he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.”

“That’s not my problem,” Udina sneered. “I’m not just gonna let him in on your say so. Anderson may have thought the sun shines out of your ass, but you’ve never fooled me. Just because he took in any stray he found, working under the misguided notion that we’re all somehow a ‘family’, that doesn’t mean it still works that way. There are going to be a lot of changes around here, now that I’m in charge.” He smirked. “Starting now. You brought him here, so he’s your problem. We can’t have him telling anybody where our hideout is, so you need to get rid of him. Permanently.”

Winnie stared at him in shock. “You want me to _kill_ James?”

“You heard me,” he said, crossing his arms and looking down at her.

“No.”

A dark look passed over his face. “What was that?”

“I said _no_. This is not how we do things, and I don’t care what kind of changes you think you’re going to make, that will not be one of them.”

She pushed herself from her chair, stalking up to him and drawing herself up as tall as she could manage. Udina took a hurried step backward when she got close, and the only thing that stopped her from smiling at that was the rage burning through her veins. This was _bullshit_ , and Udina knew it. They had never been that kind of gang, at least not until Udina managed to work his way into the upper ranks. The more his influence grew, the worse things got. Jenkins and Ash dead. Kaidan gone, trying to tell her to get out while she still could, not understanding that she couldn’t leave the others behind. It had been all Winnie could manage last year to convince Jacob to come back, and to win Miranda’s loyalty. In fact, it dawned on her that every new recruit they’d had for the past three years had been brought in by Winnie herself. The last people brought in by Anderson had been Joker and Kaidan. After that, he’d stepped back and let her suggest who might fit. Udina and Anderson might have started the Reds together, but it had been years since Udina’d had influence on or loyalty from anyone but Anderson himself. Which meant with him gone, the rest of the crew was really looking to…

Winnie laughed, right in Udina’s face. His eyes went wide and she saw the briefest glint of fear flash through them. She shot him a fierce smile and poked him in the chest. “James stays, Udina. Or I go. It’s that simple. And I think we both know you don’t want to find out what happens to your precious ‘elite’ crew if I walk.” Without another word, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the office, smile still firmly in place. For the first time since Anderson had died, her world was starting to make sense.

It was unfortunate that Udina seemed unwilling to let her have the last word.

“Shepard!” he roared, following her out of the office and catching up to her on the stairs. He grabbed her shoulder and turned her around roughly. “Don’t you think you can walk out on me! Don’t you dare think you can _threaten_ me!”

From the corner of her eye, Winnie could see movement throughout the warehouse, as the rest of the gang looked up to the stairs. Garrus was already on his feet, and from the set of them, she knew he was trying to decide if she needed his help or not. She gave her head the minutest shake, and he nodded. Beside him, James had taken a step forward, but Garrus put a hand on his shoulder, murmuring something. James subsided, though he didn’t look happy about it. Udina seemed unaware of the fact that everyone was watching them. “Don’t do this,” she said to him, trying to keep her voice from carrying. “If you force this conflict, you won’t like how it ends.”

“You actually think you can take me on?” He laughed, shoving her backwards, so that she stumbled down the half dozen steps to the next landing. He drew his gun as he descended on her, a mad gleam in his eyes. “It is past time you learned your place,” he growled. He reached her, yanking her up by the collar of her shirt and jamming the pistol against her temple. “I am done with you acting like this is _your_ gang, Shepard. I’m done with _you_.”

“Then you should have pulled the trigger when you had the chance,” she breathed. She had a moment of satisfaction at the puzzled look on his face, and then he jerked as she shoved the knife she’d drawn from her boot as she was pulled to her feet up under his ribcage into his heart. What there was of it. The gun fell from his hand and Winnie pulled her knife out, pushing him to the ground and bending over him to kick the gun away, just in case. “This isn’t my gang,” she told him, making sure her voice carried. “It’s my _family_ , and I am done watching you run it into the ground.”

She waited to make sure Udina was dead, then wiped her blade and stood up, trying to hide her shaking as she looked down over the railing. Garrus gave her a sharp nod and she relaxed, letting herself meet everyone else’s eyes in turn. She found acceptance in all of them, even relief in a few, and she knew she had done the right thing for everybody.

“So, uh,” James rubbed the back of his neck and glanced around, looking a bit bemused, “does this mean I can stay?”

“For as long as you want,” Winnie answered.

“Cool.”

Garrus slung an arm around James’ shoulders and steered him toward the back of the warehouse, where the bedrooms were. “Come on, kid, I’ll show you where you can sleep.”

Winnie watched them go and smiled, letting out a long breath. _Maybe things will be all right, after all._


	18. Military

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my gosh. This was SO supposed to be quick and dirty sex in the supply room. I don’t even know what happened.
> 
> Fluff and smut ahoy, my dears.

“Dude, you have got to cut that out!”

“What?” James dragged his attention from his commanding officer and back to his best friend. Cortez was giving him a look of mixed amusement and concern.

“You really need to stop making calf eyes at Shepard.”

“Calf eyes? What the hell are you even talking about,  _ pendejo _ ? I was just admiring her weapon.” He nodded at the gun that she was showing to Garrus.

“Her weapon, right.” Cortez rolled his eyes and shook his head, punching James lightly in the shoulder. “Look, just try to tone it down, okay? I know you like her, hell, we all like her. But I’d hate to see you transferred to another unit because she caught you checking her out.”

“Don’t think you’ve got to worry about that, Esteban,” James said, giving him a sheepish grin. “The Commander’s cool. She’d probably just call me out in training and wipe the floor with me to make her point.”

“Yeah, because that wouldn’t make her more attractive to you or anything.”

“What can I say?” James shrugged. “I like a woman who can kick my ass.”

“My point exactly,” Cortez muttered with a shake of his head.

“Aw, you worry too much Esteban, it will be all right.”

Cortez shook his head again and let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah, okay.” He stood and nudged James’ knee. “Come on, the chopper took a few hits on its last outing. I could use a hand patching it up.”

“Sure thing.”

They had to walk by Winnie and Garrus as they left, both nodding to the others as they passed. Winnie narrowed her eyes at James slightly, though she didn’t say anything beyond reminding them about the briefing the next morning. But James could feel her gaze on him the whole way to the hangar, it occurred to him that maybe she hadn’t been as preoccupied with her weapon as he had thought.

—

Later that night, James was wrapping up a round of inventory. He was in the back of the supply room, leaning over the desk and making a few notes in the supply log, when a pair of slim arms wrapped around his waist from behind. With a soft sigh, Winnie squeezed him in a tight hug and rested her face against his back. “Hey, Lola,” James greeted her, a smile taking over his face. “Was starting to think you might not show.”

“I almost didn’t,” she admitted. “I got wrapped up in a conference call with Hackett and the civilian counselors. I thought it would never end.”

James turned around within her arms, bringing his own up around her waist as well. “They giving you a hard time again?”

“When aren’t they?” There was no bitterness in her voice, just tiredness. She was well used to dealing with the counselors by now. She glanced up and bit her lip. “I almost just went back to my cabin, but I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Me?” James’ eyebrows rose in surprise. “What are you worrying about me for, Lola?”

“You and Cortez looked like you were having a pretty serious conversation earlier up on the deck.”

“Oh, that.” James reached a hand up to rub the back of his neck, looking away as the blush bloomed across his face. “He, uh, caught me looking at you. Was trying to talk me out of my crush on you. He’s worried you’ll find out and transfer me.”

“A crush, is it?” A smile quirked up the corners of her lips.

“Well, I figured it’s best to let him think that’s all it is,” James replied with a smile of his own. He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to her lips. “At least he’s convinced there’s no way you’d ever reciprocate.”

“I guess I should be glad about that,” she sighed, leaning back a little to look James over closely. “I don’t like the idea of lying to him though. Or any of the unit. I know we could trust them.” She frowned. “But it’s for the best. I don’t want to put their asses on the line over this. It’s bad enough that you’re at risk, but at least I can take the brunt of the blame if we get found out.”

“You really think I’d let you?”

“Yes.” She gave him a hard look. “You would. Because you’ve got a good career ahead of you and I am not about to be the thing that ruins it.”

“And your own career doesn’t matter?”

“I’ve had a good run, James. If it ended here, that wouldn’t be too bad.” She smiled and pushed away from him, moving to the desk and hopping up to sit on the corner. “Besides, I’m the CO. I could have stopped this at any time. If we do get caught, I’m the one who  _ deserves _ to go down for it.”

“Like hell,” James muttered. But she had that stubborn gleam in her eyes that he knew meant there was no arguing with her. He tilted his head, asking in a cautious voice, “You starting to have second thoughts about us, Lola?” She had looked down, but now glanced up, startled. He reached out and brushed a stray wisp of hair off her face. “If you’re done, you know you just need to say so. I’m not going to make a fuss if you end it.”

“No!” Eyes wide, Winnie bit her lip, then she reached out a hand to him. “I’m not done, James. I just don’t like sneaking around like this. But it’s worth it. To me, at least. If  _ you’re _ starting to have second thoughts though—”

James didn’t bother with words. He answered her by stepping between her legs and cupping her face in both hands, pulling her in for a lingering kiss. She made a soft needy sound in response and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down and pressing herself closely to him. As methods to end uncomfortable discussions went, it was a good one. For several long moments the only sounds were of kissing and heavy breathing as hands began to wander. When James’ hands dropped to Winnie’s thighs, she broke apart from him and gave him a light shove in the chest, pushing him back a step. She lifted one foot to the desk, making quick work of the laces on her boot. The other one followed, and then James moved back in, brushing her hands from the button of her pants, undoing them himself. He stole another kiss and she planted her hands on the desk, lifting her hips up to allow him to pull her pants and panties off.

As soon as her ass made contact with the desk again, her hands went to James’ pants, opening them up and pushing them down to his knees. James fumbled in one of his pockets, pulling out a condom. The wrapper went back in the pocket as Winnie took the condom from him, sliding it down over his cock and pulling him back between her legs. She leaned back again, tilting up her hips and biting her lip to stifle the cry when James slammed home inside of her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and then pulled him in for another deep kiss, letting him swallow the sounds she was making. James moaned into her mouth, dropping his hands to her waist, holding on for all he was worth. With a final thrust, he came and then stilled. They broke apart enough to catch their breath and James dropped his forehead to her shoulder, thumb tracing idle circles against her side. 

“ _ So _ worth it,” she whispered, nipping at his ear.

“Yeah,” James chuffed. He pulled out and took half a step back, hands going up to her arms as he shifted to lean their foreheads together. Winnie turned up her face to kiss him again, softly this time, and he felt gentle fingers tugging at the condom. She snagged a couple of tissues from the box behind her and wadded them around the condom, moving to throw it away in the trash can. She caught herself at the last second, freezing and looking at the ball in her hand with a frown. James laughed and reached for it, slipping it into his pocket next to the wrapper. “Let me. I’ll drop it in the hazardous waste disposal when I make this delivery run to the infirmary.”

“Hazardous waste, huh?” Winnie snorted and shot him an amused look.

“I dunno,” he joked, “seems to me it would be pretty hazardous to us both if you turned up pregnant.”

Her face fell and she nodded. “Yeah,” she sighed, “I guess so.”

“Hey,” James took her hand, lacing their fingers together and catching her eyes. “Won’t always be like that, Lola.”

“I hope not,” she squeezed his fingers and shot him a warm smile. James felt a fuzzy sort of glow spread through him.

Cheeks red, Winnie hopped down from the desk and leaned over to pick up her panties, busying herself with getting dressed. James did the same, pulling up his pants and setting himself to rights again. He glanced at Winnie when he had finished, watching her lace up her boots. “You know that this isn’t just about sex for me, right?” he said carefully. “I’m not trying to just get off or sleep my way up the ranks or something.”

“I know,” Winnie lifted her head, a puzzled look on her face. She caught sight of his serious expression and a smile smoothed her features. “Hey, it’s not just sex for me either, James. It’s about you and me. Us.”

James let out a slow breath, relaxing. He  _ had _ known that, but hearing her say it was more reassuring than he cared to admit. He held out a hand and pulled her in for a hug when she took it, resting his cheek on top of her head. Her arms snaked around his waist, squeezing tightly. 

“What kind of fallout do you think there would be if we snuck off to see a Justice of the Peace on our next leave?”

“I can only imagine,” Winnie snorted. She pulled back and looked up at him, eyebrows shooting up when their eyes met. “Wait, are you just making a joke, or are you actually asking?” She searched his face, noting when he tried to speak but couldn’t, and reached up to cup his cheek with her palm. Her lips spread in a soft smile. “James? You really mean it?”

“Just…think about it, Lola? I know we’d catch hell, but we can make it work, can’t we?”

“I will think about it,” she agreed. She stretched up and kissed him. “Let’s talk more about this later? I should go.”

James laughed and squeezed her in a tight hug before releasing her. “Yeah, go on. My shift’s almost up. I’m right behind you.”

“Just like always,” she laughed.

“Always,” he agreed.


	19. Idols

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn’t exactly turn out how I thought it would (and oh gosh it got LONG). But, um, I kind of LOVE it. So, I really hope you guys enjoy it too.

Winnie closed her eyes and wrapped her hands around the mug of tea, bringing it to her lips with a contented sigh. This was nice. The cafe was not crowded at all, and everyone there was immersed in their own business, paying no attention to her whatsoever. She had been able to snag a corner booth, with a nice view out the window, which was thankfully tinted so that she could see out but passersby on the street could not see in. She set down her mug, opening her eyes, a smile playing across her face as she pulled her knees up to her chin. She would have to remember this place. It would be nice to have a little retreat away from the typical madness of her life, even if only for a few days. And if her audition went well, maybe it could last a little longer than that.

Some of her good mood dissipated as the bell over the door jingled and she caught sight of the newest customer. Massive, broad-shouldered, all scars and tattoos, he paused to shake some of the rain out of his short scrub of hair and wiped his tennis shoes on the mat before bulling his way to the counter. Winnie took in the glint of a chain around his neck, one she recognized as the ball chain of dog tags, along with his Marine Corps sweatshirt, and felt herself go very still. She tried to make herself ignore him, but found it impossible. Damn it, she had been feeling so calm, and his sudden presence had shattered the reverie. She sighed and forced herself to focus on her tea, thinking it would be best to finish it quickly and leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched the young marine greet the barista, noting that they seemed to know each other. He was probably a regular then. She mentally scratched the cafe off her list of places to visit in the city.

He seemed like a friendly sort, she thought as he chatted with the barista and got his coffee. There was no appearance that he was unwelcome, or disliked. Maybe he was even a really nice guy. But he was still a marine, and the fact remained that, in Winnie’s experience, marines did not like her. At all. And they were more often than not insistent upon telling her why at great length and volume when she encountered them. Winnie had been acting for a long time, and for the most part she was used to the negative reactions to some of her roles. Often they were a lot less of a reaction to  _ her _ than they were to the story or the characters, but it still all tended to get directed at Winnie. She had gotten very good at ignoring most of it over time. Hell, “Galactic Rogues” had been on the air for almost eight years now. The fact that a 5’2” woman was leading the show as a high-ranking soldier still rankled a lot of people, and the “unbelievable” casting was the least of the flak she’d gotten about her role as Colonel Sarah Jeffries. If she didn’t love her work so much, if the show and the crew weren’t so much damn fun, she’d have walked away a long time ago. Instead, she channeled her character a little and grew a thicker skin. It mostly worked. But it seemed like every time she met a marine, they wanted to nitpick over every little thing she was doing wrong, and it all boiled down to “you aren’t what I think a marine officer should be,” and “I could do that job so much better than you.”

Rationally, she knew the was being silly. The soldiers she’d encountered were hardly representative of the entire Corps. She’d received countless letters from marines saying she’d done a marvelous job in the role. But she never seemed to run into those people in public, and she did not really have the energy today to deal with a lecture from someone who didn’t even know her. She sipped her tea and crossed her fingers, hoping it wouldn’t come to that. For all she knew, the young man settling into his chair a few tables away wasn’t even aware of “Galactic Rogues,” and had no idea who she was. She hardly looked like Sarah Jeffries at the moment, anyway, or even the image of Winnie Shepard that her agent had approved for public consumption. She had no makeup or jewelry on, her hair was pulled into a messy braid that hung over one shoulder, and she was wearing torn up jeans, a ratty sweater, and sneakers. Nine times out of ten, when she went out like this, she was never recognized. But there was always that pesky tenth time, wasn’t there?

In the reflection of the glass, she saw him glance her way and braced herself when he froze. She could just make out the small frown that crossed his face and she let her eyes close, avoiding meeting his gaze. She heard a soft grunt from his direction and when she opened her eyes and checked the glass again, he was no longer looking her way. He had pulled out a book buried his nose in it, a highlighter held ready in one hand. Winnie blinked in surprise and then felt the corners of her lips quirk up. She relaxed by degrees, realizing that if he  _ had _ recognized her, he didn’t mean to say anything about it. 

That was a refreshing change. Maybe she could leave the cafe on her list of places to visit after all. She lingered over her tea a little bit longer, and then decided it was time to head back to the hotel. No point in pressing her luck, and she did need to go over the lines for her audition again. She got up and walked to the station in the corner, tossing her napkin in the recycling and setting her emptied mug in the rubber bin for returning dishes. She pulled a couple of bucks out of her pocket and stuffed them into the tip jar with a murmured “thanks” to the barista. As she was leaving, she glanced back over her shoulder at the marine and found him watching her. He shot her a cheeky grin and winked, sketching a quick salute. Winnie couldn’t help but laugh, returning the gesture before slipping out the door. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been so relieved to have misjudged someone.

—

The next morning, he was there when she arrived, sitting at the same table with his nose in his book again. He looked up when the bell over the door rang though. His eyes widened a little, but then he grinned and gave her a quick nod as she placed her umbrella in the stand near the door. He leaned back in his chair, turning his head toward the counter. “Yo, Esteban, customer!”

The barista hustled out of the kitchen, drying his hands with a towel, and clapped the marine on the shoulder in passing. “Thanks, Mr. Vega.” To Winnie, he nodded in greeting. “Morning ma’am. What can I get for you?”

“A green tea, please, the jasmine,” she answered, fishing some cash out of her pocket.

“Coming right up,” he answered amiably.

She leaned against the counter while she waited for her tea, accepting the mug with thanks and making her way over to the booth she’d occupied the day before. Other than the barista and the marine, the place was empty. It was raining even harder today, which she was sure had something to do with it. Her agent would probably be appalled to learn she’d been running around the city in the rain by herself, but she loved it. Doing things like that made her feel like an actual person. Well worth a lecture, in her books. A cozy silence descended over the cafe as she sipped her tea, broken only by the occasional sounds of Esteban doing dishes in the back and Vega highlighting passages in his book. Winnie found herself wondering what he was studying. But he’d been kind enough not to bother her reverie the day before, and she figured she could return the favor. So she turned her attention back to the window, watching the rain come down and going over lines in her head.

The audition was later that afternoon, and she wanted to be ready. Rumor around the studio had it that “Galactic Rogues” wasn’t getting renewed for another season. The network had new owners and they weren’t very impressed with the series, despite its longevity. Wanted to take their programming in a different direction, from what she had gathered. She would be fine if the show ended and she didn’t have anything else in the pipeline, but she didn’t like the idea of not working. She hoped the show wasn’t really done, but better safe than sorry. If it did get renewed and she did land this movie, the shooting schedules shouldn’t interfere with each other. She’d rather be doing too many things than not enough.

Winnie finished her cup of tea and stared down into the empty mug, debating whether she wanted to get up for another one. The bell over the door went off again and she and Vega both looked up at the same time. Winnie felt all of the blood drain from her face as she recognized the person walking into the cafe. “Oh no,” she breathed. Without really thinking about it, she grabbed her mug and ducked under the table in the split second before he could turn and see her. She knew it was a vain hope, but maybe he’d look around, see she wasn’t there, and leave. It couldn’t be a coincidence that he was here on the second morning she’d patronized the place. Damn it, she had been having such a nice morning.  _ Go away Conrad _ , she thought at him as hard as she could, knowing it would do no good.  _ Oh please, please go away. _

This was what her life had become. Hiding from reporters under coffee shop tables. Winnie couldn’t help but think she must have taken a wrong turn somewhere in her life. Probably near Albuquerque.

“Is she here? Did I miss her?”

Winnie cringed at the enthusiastic voice that intruded upon the cafe’s atmosphere.

“Miss who? No one here but me and Esteban in the back, man.”

“Who? Winnie Shepard, who else? Colonel Jeffries! I heard she’s in town for an audition, and one of my sources saw her here this time yesterday, and another said she’d left her hotel this morning, walking in this direction. It’s only a few blocks away.” Conrad’s voice kept rising. Winnie could picture him practically vibrating in excitement.

“What would a star like Shepard be doing in a little hole in the wall like this?” Vega’s voice was laced with skepticism, and there was a scraping sound as he stood up, pushing his chair back. A dark shape blotted out the light filtering in under the table, and Winnie realized he had come to lean against it, completely blocking her from Conrad’s view. “Think you’re barking up the wrong tree. But if you want a coffee or something, I can holler for Esteban.”

“What? No? I don’t want any coffee! I just want to get a picture of Shepard. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get candids of her? She sees a camera and she’s gone.”

“Gee,” Vega said in a dry voice, “I can’t imagine why. It’s not like she’s entitled to a little privacy every now and then.”

“Hey, take it easy, I just want to take a picture.”

“Well, she’s not here, as you can see, and I was here all morning yesterday and didn’t see her. Your source got it wrong. So if you’re not gonna buy something, you may as well move along.”

There was some grumbling from Conrad, and she thought she heard him mumble something about catching her at the studio, but then the bell over the door sounded and quiet once more descended. Winnie took a few steadying breaths, remaining where she was. Vega moved away from the table and a few minutes later returned, kneeling down to peer at her. “He’s gone, I don’t see him anywhere on the street. You can probably come out now.” He smirked. “Unless you wanna stay under the table all day?”

“Oh, no, thank you,” Winnie said. Heat bloomed across her cheeks as she started to crawl forward. Vega offered a hand and she took it, letting him pull her back to her feet. “Seriously,” she said, catching his eyes. “Thank you. Conrad’s not that bad, as far as paparazzi go, but he’s still not real great with boundaries.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Vega said, shaking his head. “I’ll be kinda surprised if he doesn’t pop back in after a little while, just in case.”

“Me too,” Winnie agreed with a sigh. “I should probably get out of here.” She glanced around, feeling unexpectedly sad. “I guess this is off the list of places to visit,” she muttered.

“That’s a shame,” Vega said, and he sounded genuine. “Was kinda enjoying the company.” He moved to his table and picked up his book, tossing it into his backpack and slipping the highlighter into an outside pocket. “Let me walk you out of here? I wouldn’t put it past that guy to be waiting out back.”

She almost protested out of sheer habit, but something stopped her. If Conrad had tracked her here, odds were good so had some of the others. So instead she retrieved her umbrella and nodded. “I would appreciate that quite a bit, actually. Thank you, Mr. Vega.”

“Aw, shit, no. James, please,” he said, shaking his head with a laugh. “Only Esteban calls me Mr. Vega.”

“Oh, okay then,” she smiled and tilted her head, then stuck out her hand. “Pleased to meet you, James. I’m Winnie.”

“Heh, yeah, it’s a pleasure,” he laughed again, shaking her hand. He tilted his head toward the back, “This way.”

Esteban, or Steve, as he informed her when James introduced him, was a bit surprised to find them in the kitchen but grasped the situation quickly enough. He said he was sorry to see her go and hoped she’d be able to stop by again the next time she was in town. She promised to try, surprised to realize she meant it. The rain had calmed down a bit when they got outside, but Winnie kept her umbrella up anyway, grateful for the extra bit of coverage. After about a block, Winnie found herself craving conversation, so she peeked up at James and asked, “So, you’re a marine?”

“Was,” he said, and she had no trouble picking up the hint of pride in his voice. “Did my four years to pay for college, and that’s what I’m doing now.” He hefted the backpack on his shoulder in illustration.

“What are you studying?”

“Astronomy, mostly. I like the stars, and space in general.”

“So do I,” Winnie said with a smile.

He grinned down at her and winked, “Guess you landed a good role, then, huh?”

“I guess so,” she agreed with a laugh. She hesitated for a moment, then said, “To be honest, I kind of expected you to go off on me when you came into the cafe yesterday.”

“What?” James looked at her in confusion. “Why?”

Winnie tucked a loose strand of hair between her ear and shrugged. “I’ve had a few too many run-ins with marines who think my portrayal is unrealistic.”

James laughed long and hard at that, stopping to lean a hand against the wall of a nearby building. Winnie stared at him, eyebrow cocked as she waited for an explanation. After a moment, he got himself under control and straightened up, shaking his head. “Sorry, I just—well, the whole show’s a bit unrealistic, isn’t it? I mean,  _ space _ !” He chuckled again. “Besides, as far as acting like an officer goes, I’ve seen more than one episode where I could have sworn you were channeling my old CO.”

“Thanks, I think?” Winnie felt a smile playing at the edges of her lips, strangely warmed by the comment.

“Just calling it like I see it,” James shrugged.

They reached the hotel and Winnie stopped, turning to him and offering her hand again. “This is me. Thanks again, James. I’m glad I actually got the chance to talk to you a little.”

“Hey, any time,” he said, shaking her hand. She could have sworn he was blushing. He looked away, asking, “You really here for an audition?”

“I am.”

“Cool. Well, good luck then.”

“Thanks.”

He sketched her another mock salute and waited for her to go inside before he turned and headed back the way they had come. Winnie stood in the lobby for a few minutes, watching him go before turning toward the elevators.

—

The next morning, she was bumming around her room, killing time before the next round of auditions, when the phone on the bedside table rang. “Hello?”

“Miss Shepard, I apologize for disturbing you, but there is a delivery here for you.”

“I didn’t order anything,” she said with a frown.

“The young, er, gentleman requested I tell you that ‘Esteban sends his regards.’”

“Oh! I’ll be right down.”

Even though she was half-expecting him by the time the elevator doors opened up on the lobby, Winnie was still surprised to see James. Even more of a surprise was how happy she felt to see him. He looked nervous, but his face lit up when he saw her, and he held up a paper cup, steam visible through the slit in the lid. “Figured you wouldn’t be able to go out for your tea today, so thought I’d bring some by for you. I, um, I hope that’s okay. Don’t mean to bug you or anything.”

“No, that’s fine, you’re not bothering me at all.” She smiled and took the cup, raising it to her nose to inhale the calming scent of jasmine. “Thank you, very much.” She took a sip and then tilted her head, giving him a long look. “Summer’s coming up, do you have any plans while school’s out?”

He shrugged. “Not really. Probably just find a job. Maybe help Esteban out in the cafe.”

“Hmm,” Winnie nodded slowly. “Tell me, James, have you ever thought about working in personal security?”


	20. Species Swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t even know, okay. I just got the image in my head of Bird!James trying to win over Bird!Winnie and this happened. Safe to assume these aren’t based on any actual specific breed of bird. Also, my knowledge of bird behavior is limited, and I definitely took some liberties to fit the story. Please forgive me.

Mating season had almost run its course.

He watched from his perch as the others moved about the clearing, the males preening and the females affecting disinterest. Many of them had already chosen, and it was clear in the way they stood closer together than the others. Bright brown eyes scanned the flock, searching out the one he hoped to win today. She still stood apart, not yet having chosen her mate. Although he could not help but notice that one of the other males was standing closer to her than he liked. As he watched, his competition hopped a step closer, but she made a huffing sort of sound and hopped a step back. He let out a pleased little chirp at the sight, fluffing up his feathers.

He watched the competitor closely. Large, like himself, but not  _ quite _ as large. Neatly groomed feathers of bright blue, in contrast to his own slightly duller, more rumpled blue, with white markings along the tail and stomach. More white than he possessed, more like stripes than his own spots, and the crest of black feathers was bigger—fluffier, even. He bristled slightly at that, willing his own crest to stand up a bit more, though he knew it was no use. But she did not seem interested, and after a few long minutes, the competitor dipped his head and hopped away to try his luck with another female.

He turned his attention back to  _ her _ , happiness flooding through him at the sight. Small, even for a female, with eyes nearly as black as her sleek feathers. Two of the feathers of her crest stuck out at slight angles to the side, and he longed to groom them for her, to tuck them back in place. He was relieved that she did not want any of the others, but knew it didn’t mean she would want  _ him _ . How to convince her? He’d already tried so many things. Strutting in front of her, puffed up and showing off, singing his best songs, had yielded no more than a tilted head and an amused chirp. He had thought to impress her with his bravery, swooping in to protect her when a snake had darted into the clearing, chasing off all the others. Only she had swooped in ahead of him, scolding it and pecking its nose until it fled in terror. There had been no sign of snakes anywhere near the clearing since. He’d tried gifts, bringing her food and some soft material he found that would be ideal for a nest. She’d accepted them, but had grown no more welcoming of him. He’d tried to demonstrate intelligence, showing her how he could use a twig to prise the best bugs out of the tree. She had remained unimpressed.

At this point, all he really had left was persistence. Maybe if he watched just a bit longer, he’d see some clue as to what he should do. She called out to another female nearby, hopping over, and the two chattered for a few moments before breaking into a round of play-fighting, jousting with their beaks. She won, of course, and hopped away looking quite proud of herself. She moved off on her own again, puffing up her feathers and settling them a few times before beginning to groom herself. She seemed buoyed by the play, he thought. He cocked his head to one side, letting out a small trill. Maybe that was the key.

Gathering himself up, he leapt from his perch, spreading his wings and gliding down to land in front of her. She glanced up, startled, and let out an annoyed chirp. He stretched his neck out, keeping his head lower than hers, and chirped back, soft and reassuring, inviting. She calmed, ruffled feathers settling, and tilted her head to watch him. She was curious at least. That was good, he thought. He took a few careful hops forward, glad when she remained where she was. One more hop and he was close enough. He leaned forward, biting her beak lightly with his own. She let out a surprised squawk and jumped back, feathers puffing out again, crest standing up. He hopped back as well, dropping his head even lower, cooing at her.  _ Play, I just want to play _ . After a moment, she took a cautious step forward, then another, and then she darted forward, this time biting his beak. With a little more force than he thought was necessary, but still playful. He moved out of her grip, retaliating, and they jousted for several long, glorious minutes.

In the end, she won, but only just, and not because he let her. He sensed that was important, he couldn’t  _ let  _ her beat him. After, he dipped his head to her again, and then took one hop away. She tilted her head and fixed one bright eye on him, giving him a long look. Then she uttered a small pleased chirp and took two hops toward him. He spread out a wing and she hopped forward again, tucking herself up beside him. He could not have stopped the song that burst forth from him for anything in the world, and when her voice rose to sing with his, he knew he had, at last, won his mate.


	21. Fantasy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about this one and got struck by the image of James as the damsel in distress. So, here you go.

James grunted and planted his feet against the wall of the cave, straining to pull at the eyelet anchoring his chains to the stone. It wiggled a bit, but nowhere near enough to suit his purposes. “Come on, come  _ on _ ,” he muttered, trying again and leaning back even further. The anchor remained stubbornly lodged in the wall. “ _ Mierda _ !” A clatter of sliding rocks sounded outside of the cave, and James growled in frustration. He dropped the lengths of chain balled up in his fists and turned, drawing himself up to his full height to face his foe. Save for the sounds of his heavy breathing and the occasional shifting of rock outside, all was silent. It was as if the cave itself waited to greet its master upon her return.

But instead of the lithe and deadly form James was expecting, the mouth of the cave was darkened by someone wearing a practical suit of plate mail, embellished with green and black enamel. A knight, then. James felt himself relax slightly. Maybe he’d get out of this after all. Although…he eyed the newcomer with a critical eye. He was a little on the  _ small _ side, as far as knights went. James wasn’t sure how much good the fellow would be against the enemy. Still, he was here, and he wasn’t chained to the wall, which was more than James could say for himself. If the knight could get him free, it would be two against one, and James liked those odds. While he had been coming to this conclusion, the knight had taken a few hesitant steps into the cave and then stopped, looking him over as well. James supposed he wasn’t what the other fellow had been expecting either.

“Well. You’re not a dragon.” His voice was light, and high, and he sounded more amused than surprised.

James figured he could work with amused. “Nope,” he said, offering as much of a bow as his chains would allow. “Just her captive.”

“Captive?” Now the knight did sound surprised. He tilted his head, and James could feel the intensity of his gaze even through the visor he wore. “I thought dragons only took princesses hostage.”

“Well, I guess this one was making an exception for a prince,” James said. He ducked his head under the knight’s renewed scrutiny, scrubbing the back of his neck with one hand. At least the chains allowed him that much movement.

“Not Prince James of Vega?”

James’ head snapped back up. “How did you know that?”

The knight let out a small chuckle, and amusement returned to his voice. “Your father was the one who hired me to slay the beast. He said it had killed you and he wanted its head in vengeance.”

“I’m amazed he bothered,” James grunted. “I would have thought he’d be glad to see me gone.”

Another chuckle. “Well, I confess, he did seem much more upset at the fact that his son had the poor grace to lose to the dragon than that you were dead. Seemed to me he was more worried about keeping up appearances with the whole vengeance thing.”

“That sounds about right.” James shook his head and let out a sigh.

“You certainly don’t look much like any of the other princes I’ve met,” the knight mused. “You’d pass more easily for a ruffian than royalty. In my experience, the highborn don’t like to let their prettiness get marred by scars.”

James laughed and shrugged. “I’m in charge of the armies, and I’ve never been one to ask others to do something for me if I’m not willing to do it myself.”

“Leading by example, hmm?” The knight nodded in apparent understanding.

“Exactly,” James agreed. He shrugged again. “Vega’s a small nation, our neighbors are always trying to invade, thinking we won’t fight back. Lots of opportunity to fight.” He glanced around the cave, eying the pile of riches accumulated nearby. It was small, for a dragon hoard, but she hadn’t been in Vega very long, had she? “Seems like we’ve got dragons to deal with now, too,” he said with a scowl. Turning back to the knight, he cocked an eyebrow and held up his manacles. “Help me get out of these, sir knight? I’ll aid you in slaying the dragon, and Father will be so surprised to find me alive, he’ll be talked into doubling your pay before he recovers from the shock.”

“A fair deal,” the knight nodded and moved closer. James eyed the sword at his hip, expecting him to unsheathe it and strike at the chains. The knight noticed his gaze and chuckled again, shaking his head. “There is a much easier way, your highness.”

He reached into a pouch at his belt and pulled out a set of lock-picking tools. Nimble fingers made quick work of the manacles, despite heavily mailed gloves, and soon James was free. He rubbed at his wrists, and nodded his thanks to the knight. Then he turned to the dragon’s hoard, examining it closely. There! That would do nicely. He strode over and liberated a great broadsword from the pile. It was encrusted with gems and gilt, but the blade was more than serviceable. “Now, I guess we wait for her to come back,” he said, turning to the knight.

“Very well.” He sat down cross-legged on the floor, pulling out his sword and laying it across his legs. “So, your highness, how is it you ended up the dragon’s captive, rather than dead as believed? I can’t imagine you didn’t put up a fight.”

“Ah, well.” James cleared his throat and looked away, feeling the heat bloom across his face. “She can change forms, it seems. I wasn’t expecting what she was when I encountered her.”

“Oh?”

The knight sounded curious, and James braced himself to explain, knowing what a fool he’d look. For some reason, he did not like the idea of embarrassing himself in front of his new acquaintance. Before he could worry too much about it, however, he caught the sound of rockfall outside. “We’ve got company,” he whispered, bringing his sword up. He was pleased when the knight glided to his feet, his own weapon at the ready as well. James did not mean to give the serpent the chance to speak if he could help it.

Of course, when did things ever go according to his plans?

“Well, well, well,” a musical voice sounded through the cave. “James you have been a naughty boy, escaping your chains. I assume your friend here had something to do with that? Pity he’ll have to die for his troubles.”

“Give it up,” James called out, eyes focused on the figure drifting into the cave. “I’m not falling for your charms a second time. We’ll fight you, and we’ll win.”

“Now, now,” she said, “no need to be hasty.”

James felt his resolve weaken. She had taken her human form again, and she was beautiful, everything he’d ever desired in a woman. He shook his head, trying to push back the enchantment. He knew it for what it was this time, and that made it easier. He glanced at the knight, hoping he would be able to withstand the dragon’s allure. It was hard to tell through his visor, but he still stood in a ready stance, and his head followed the dragon’s movements into the cave. He did not  _ seem _ to be faltering, and James was buoyed by this.

“When she reaches the edge of the hoard, I’ll rush her and you flank,” he said out of the side of his mouth. Even if his companion did fall under her sway when she got closer, he might still be able to get the upper hand with a direct charge.

“Agreed,” the knight whispered with a curt nod.

“Oh, none of that now,” the dragon pretended to pout. “No whispering about me.” She flicked her hand and James was thrown back to the wall of the cave, all of the wind knocked out of him. She shot him an annoyed look and flicked her hand again. The chains he had only just been freed from snaked around his body, holding him in place. “You’re beginning to be more trouble than you’re worth little princeling.” She let out an affected sigh. “And I had such high hopes for you. Ah, well.” She turned her attention to the knight, who had taken a step backwards—reevaluating his strategy, perhaps—and gave him an assessing look. “You’re quite a bit of trouble too, you know, interrupting all of my nice plans. You’re going to have to pay for that.”

“Don’t let her get too close!” James cried out, watching the dragon stalk the knight with wide eyes. “The closer she gets the more powerful her mag—”

“That’s enough out of you!” She waved her hand and James’ mouth snapped shut. She turned back to the knight, patience visibly waning, and made a pulling gesture. “You! Come here!” The knight slid across the floor of the cave, coming to a stop only a hand’s breadth from the dragon. James cringed, waiting for the sword to fall from the knight’s hands. His fingers loosened, but the blade remained in his grasp. The dragon smiled and ran one finger down the knight’s arm. “Now, that’s better. I am not without mercy, sir knight. If you do not resist, I will end it quickly and without pain. I  _ am _ going to win, you see. No man can resist my charms, after all.”

The knight laughed, long and high and musical. James’ eyes widened as understanding clicked into place, and he couldn’t have kept the grin from his face even if he’d wanted to. The dragon figured it out a second later, and began to draw back, horror marring her features. But even as she moved, the knight’s grip tightened once more, sword coming up to slide home, right into the dragon’s heart. She let out a wheezing breath and then collapsed to the ground as the sword was removed. One more swing of the blade parted her head from her body, with enough force to send it rolling away. It came to a stop right in front of James, and he realized that the chains no longer held him. He scrambled to his feet, turning to face the knight.

“Lucky for me,” she laughed, pulling off her helmet, “that I’m not a man, eh?” 

James didn’t have the breath to answer as he took in her dark tilted eyes, and the dark braid coiled around her head. A spray of freckles covered her nose and cheeks, and James’ fingers itched to trace them. He would not have thought it possible, but she was even more beautiful than the dragon had been.

Focused on the dragon, she did not notice his shock. She shook her head and prodded the body with a booted toe, her nose crinkling up in disgust. “Goodness, I haven’t faced a foe so cocky in  _ years _ . I wish they were all that easy.” She snorted, then looked up at him and grinned. “Well, your highness, shall we get you home?”

“James,” he said, stumbling toward her. “I think you should definitely call me James.”

“Very pleased to meet you, James,” she said, once more sounding amused. “I’m Winnie.”

_ Winnie _ , James thought,  _ what a lovely name. _ They weren’t even halfway down the mountain before he was trying to figure out the best way to ask her to stay once her job was done.


	22. Horror

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know why Shepard would expect to throw a party in ANY universe and have it go according to plans. I mean, really. 
> 
> Heads up for smut and for tentacles (not at the same time though—that’s two separate warnings).

“Seriously, what the hell was that thing? Did you get a good look?” James finished shoving the sofa across the door and turned to her, eyes wide. She couldn’t tell if he was terrified or exhilarated, but he definitely looked as high-strung as she felt.

“I got a closer look than I wanted, and I still have no fucking clue,” Winnie answered with a shake of her head. She paced around the small room, a study or library of some sort, she thought, judging by all the books. “All I saw were tentacles. So. Many. Tentacles.” She shuddered at the image of poor Jenkins being torn in half by the massive appendages. He’d never had a chance. She bit her lip and glanced back at James, judging the width of his shoulders against the room’s small window. It was doubtful he’d be able to fit through. Damn. “You think anyone else got out?”

“Hey, Lola, I’m sure they did.” He crossed the room and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “You know Scars and Ash and Kaidan can handle themselves for sure, and I bet they got the rest of the party out.”

“Hopefully someone thought to actually call for help,” she mumbled, “before that thing ripped the phone right out of the wall.” Not for the first time, she cursed the lack of cell reception at Anderson’s mountain cabin.

“There any more phones we might try to get to?” James asked, holding her out to look down into her eyes.

She shook her head, letting some of her frustration show. “Just the one,” she said. “The old man always came up here to get away from it all, he didn’t like letting the rest of the world have too many ways to get in.” She choked back a sob, the pain of Anderson’s death still fresh, and James pulled her into another hug. Damn it, this was supposed to be a fun weekend, a way to try to move past some of the hurting, just kick back with her friends, remember the man who had raised her, and start getting on without him. Instead, some monstrosity had crashed the party and turned everything into a new kind of hell. And of course they were in the middle of nowhere, with no way to call for backup, and scattered from each other so they couldn’t make a united attack on the creature.

“So what now?”

Winnie gave a start at James’ question, mirroring her own thoughts. She shook her head and stepped out of his arms, surveying the room again. She wished she had taken up Anderson’s offers to come out here when he used to visit. If she had a better idea of the cabin’s layout, maybe she could formulate a plan. As it was, she found herself at something of a loss. “I’m not sure,” she admitted at last. “I thought maybe we could go out the window, try to get away and make it to the gas station a few miles down the main road.” She glanced back at him. “But there’s no way you’re fitting through that window, and I am sure as fuck not attempting a run down the mountain by myself. Not with that thing on the loose.”

James nodded slowly, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “So, way I see it, we’ve really got three options.” He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited for her nod before continuing, holding up a finger as he listed each option. “One, we hunker down here and wait for either some of our friends or that thing to find us. Two, we go back out there and try to sneak out another way, hoping we can avoid the octopus from hell and find some of the others on the way out. Three,” he paused and gave her a long look, “we arm ourselves the best we can and go back out there to hunt that son a bitch down and make it pay for Jenkins.”

“Normally I’d be all for option number three,” Winnie sighed, “but I’m not sure a bunch of books are gonna do us any good against that thing, and I don’t exactly see anything else around here we can use for weapons.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” His shoulders slumped and he kicked at the sofa. “Damn, I  _ hate _ not being able to fight back.”

“I know you do,” Winnie said, a smile crossing her face. She put a hand on his arm and he covered it with one of his own, glancing down at her again.

His face brightened suddenly and he gave her a wink. “We could always just have sex,” he quipped.

“ _ James! _ ” Winnie pulled her hand free, slapping at his arm. “This is  _ so _ not the time. I cannot believe you’re thinking about that at a time like this.”

“Well, hell,” he said, still grinning, “at least it’d be doing  _ something _ . Be a bit of a distraction. Besides, in the movies, isn’t it always the characters that have sex that the monster goes after first? We could lure it into a trap.”

Winnie snorted, narrowing her eyes at him. She shook her head slowly, trying not to let her amusement show. Trust James to make her want to laugh at the most inappropriate times. “Maybe that’d be a sound strategy, except for a few crucial facts. Doesn’t the monster usually show up while the couple is in the  _ middle _ of sex, and thus too distracted to actually fight back? Not to mention, again, what exactly are we going to use to attack it? Oh, and also,” she poked his arm, “this isn’t a movie, James.”

“Worth a try,” he said, the hint of a smile playing at his lips. He reached out to cup her cheek with one hand, thumb tracing over the spray of freckles there. “Gotta say, if we don’t manage to survive this, I wouldn’t have regretted getting a little bit of heavy petting in at least.”

“You are awful,” she breathed. But she took a step closer to him, letting her eyes drift shut, and didn’t object when his other hand settled at her waist. She stretched up to meet him as he bent down to kiss her, and she felt as if a dam had exploded. Suddenly all of her fear and frustration of the last few hours could no longer be contained, and needing an outlet, she focused all of that emotion on James. She threw her arms around his neck, pressing closely against him, swallowing his cry of surprise.

He recovered quickly, hands sliding down under her ass and picking her up. He stumbled back a few steps, dropping down into a nearby armchair, Winnie straddling his lap. She finally broke their kiss, mouth sliding along his jaw to his ear, teeth nipping at his earlobe before moving down to graze his neck. James groaned, hands twitching on her thighs, fingers moving to the edge of her skirt and then under, pushing her panties aside. “Fuck, Lola,” he gasped, “when you change your mind, you don’t hold back.”

“Like you said,” she told him, “this might be our last chance. Besides, if that thing is stupid enough to show up in the middle of this, we’ll make sure he regrets it. Don’t know how, but we’ll think of something.”

“Knew there was a reason I loved you so much,” he laughed, choking off when Winnie’s hands dropped to his fly and pulled open his jeans.

She smiled against his neck, rocking her hips against the fingers he worked inside of her as she freed him from his boxers. She kissed him again and shifted, moaning as he moved his attention to her clit, rubbing just right and bringing her off far more quickly than she had expected. Then again, it wasn’t as if they had much time to waste. With that in mind, she only took the few moments to recover her breathing before shifting again, taking his cock in hand and lining him up, sinking down on him. James let out another groan and he caught her lips in another kiss. They moved together at a frenzied pace, not worried about finesse, with no attempt to draw it out. Quick and dirty, just a few rolls of her hips, a few thrusts from James, and he was coming, arms wrapping around her back to pull her closer as he finished.

They remained like that for only a few minutes before Winnie pushed herself off, standing on legs that were only a little wobbly and adjusting her panties. She tugged her skirt back into place while James closed up his pants, and then an inhuman scream sounded from somewhere deeper in the house. Winnie whirled around to face the door, but her foot caught on something and she tripped, falling to her knees. James was out of the chair in a flash, kneeling by her side to check on her. This saved both of them, as in the next second a tentacle came crashing in through the window, plowing right through the chair they had just been occupying, smashing it to bits.

“Guess you were right about how to attract it,” Winnie gasped as she and James both dropped flat to the floor.

“Kind of wish I’d been wrong,” James breathed, eyes wide as he watched the tentacle flail around. It probed the edges of the room, crawling over the bookshelves, scattering their contents with abandon, before spending a few moments prodding the couch in front of the door. They watched in surprise as it tried to pull the blockage away, but it couldn’t seem to get a good enough grip, and after another long moment, withdrew. “How long before that fucker comes back?” James whispered.

“Don’t think I want to find out,” Winnie said. She pressed her palms to the floor, meaning to push herself back up, and frowned, feeling something under the rug. Maybe the thing that had tripped her? “James, there’s something here. Help me move this rug.”

“Do we have time for this Lola?” But he was already up and moving the coffee table out of the way.

Winnie had to bite back a cry of excitement when she peeled back the rug to reveal a small trapdoor in the floor. She’d tripped over the depression where the handle lay. She pulled the door open and looked up to meet James’ eyes as a light automatically came on in the space below. She suspected the grin on her face matched his own. Without another word, she dropped down into the small cavity and started handing guns and boxes of ammo up to James. She couldn’t even bring herself to wonder why the hell Anderson had such a stockpile stashed beneath his study. Right now, it was exactly what they needed. Just one more example of him looking out for her, as far as she was concerned. There were even a couple of backpacks to carry everything in and…an entire box of flash bang grenades.

“Oh, now you’re talking!” James laughed when she passed those up.

“Looks like we’ve got what we need to start fighting back,” Winnie said as James pulled her back out of the cache.

“Come on, Lola,” he said, shrugging on a backpack and turning to the sofa, “let’s go make that  _ pendejo _ wish he’d never crashed your party.”


	23. Wild West

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prompt for this one was "pre-21st century." Normally this is not the time period I would arrow in on when presented with this kind of prompt, but I got an image in my head and kind of just had to roll with it. Hope you like it!

James wanted to whoop with relief when the town finally shimmered into existence on the horizon, but he was too tired for more than a sigh. It took everything he had not to dig his spurs into his poor horse’s side, but he managed to hold back. The beast wasn’t in any better shape than he was, and urging him to speed up now just might kill him. So they approached Normandy at a slow and steady pace, and the closer they got, the more solid it became. Less a vision, more a reality, though the air around him still wavered from the heat.

He all but fell off the horse when he dismounted, having at least the presence of mind to leave him with the farrier, tossing in a little extra coin to have the horse brushed down and fed. With his mount seen to, James knew he needed a bit of refreshment himself before he could begin his mission in earnest. Fortunately, he thought he could take care of both needs at the same place, and so he stumbled across the dusty street into the saloon. Raucous music and voices hit him as soon as he pushed the doors open, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day. He’d expected the place to be full, and stifling, from the amount of noise that greeted him. But though dim and stuffy inside, it was mostly empty and, if not actually cool,  _ cooler _ than outside at least. All of the commotion seemed to be coming from the far corner of the room, where a large group was gathered around a beat-up old piano, one man clammering away at the keys while the others attempted, poorly, to sing along. The party paid him little attention, so he made a beeline for the bar, ordering a shot of whiskey to take the edge off of his thirst and restore a bit of his energy. It burned going down, and he winced, but it had the intended effect.

“Thanks,” he said to the bartender as he set the glass back on the table. “Can I get a beer now?”

“Sure thing, stranger,” the bartender replied. “You want the free lunch that comes with it?”

James blinked, and his stomach gave a mighty grumble. “Guess so,” he said, grinning sheepishly in the wake of the bartender’s amused laugh. The other man poured his beer from a keg behind him, then disappeared through a door behind the bar, presumably to fetch the lunch. James sipped his beer, it was warm as expected but also surprisingly tasty, and glanced around the saloon, eyes lingering on the group singing in the corner. None of them bore the tell tale badge of office that he was looking for. Not that he’d expected to find his quarry drinking and carrying on in the middle of the day, but you never knew. The bartender came back, sliding a bowl of stew and a plate of biscuits in front of him. James nodded his thanks and tucked in without regard to the temperature of the stew. A burned tongue was worth it for the first real food he’d had since leaving Omegatown.

Finished with his food and drink, James pulled out his coin pouch and fished out enough for the bill. After a moment’s thought, he drew out a little extra as well, sliding it across the counter to the bartender with the rest. “I’m hoping you can help me find someone,” he said, when the bartender reached for the money. “I’m looking for Shepard.”

“And just what do you want with Shepard?” drawled a suspicious voice behind him.

James turned on his stool to find three new people in the saloon, standing just inside the doors. One, a tall thin man, crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrows in question. James guessed he was the one who had spoken. Next to him stood a burly man with impressively well-coiffed hair, only a bit shorter than James himself. He watched James with more curiosity than suspicion, but James got the impression that if he made one false move, that man would make him regret it. Both of them wore deputy stars pinned to their belts, and James carefully moved his hands to display his own deputy star, to hopefully let them know he wasn’t a threat.

It was the third person who held his attention, though. He eyed the sheriff’s star pinned to her vest with shock. She was nothing like he’d expected, and he wondered if his boss had left off mentioning she was a woman on purpose. Aside from her sex, she was slight of build and stood no taller than his shoulders. Hard to imagine such a petite woman was the answer to Omegatown’s prayers. Then again, from the way her dark eyes fixed on him, and the casual way her hands rested above the holsters of the twin pistols strapped to her thighs, he thought maybe she just might be the most dangerous of the three after all. When he spoke, it was to her.

“Sheriff Shepard? Anderson sent me, from Omegatown.”

Her eyebrows shot up in clear surprise. “Anderson? Why would he—?” She cut off, tilting her head in a curious gesture and giving him a close look, eyes lingering on his star. “You’re Vega?” He nodded and she hummed in thought. “It’s the Collectors, isn’t it?”

“Yes ma’am,” James said, relaxing a fraction. “The way I hear tell, you’re the only one who’s been able to give those bandits something to think about. We could use your help.”

She hesitated, and for a second he thought she’d refuse. Her deputies had both gone very still at mention of the Collectors, and they were exchanging looks of clear concern over her head. James wondered if he was missing something, or if Anderson had left out some other details about Shepard’s run-ins with the bandits. She caught sight of her companions’ worry and rolled her eyes at them. “Oh leave off. We knew it was only a matter of time before they started acting up again. I should have figured they’d try to put some distance between themselves and me though.” Turning to the tall man, she said, “Garrus, why don’t you go round up the rest of the crew. Looks like we’ve got some work to do.”

“Of course, Shepard,” he drawled, turning at once to exit the saloon.

After he had gone, she glanced at her remaining deputy. “Kaidan, you might want to let the mayor know I’ll be doing some traveling.”

“He’s not gonna like that,” Kaidan said, but he sounded more amused than worried, and he clapped her on the shoulder before turning to leave as well.

Shepard faced James again, offering him a smile. “Well, deputy. I wish your business in Normandy wasn’t so dire, but welcome, all the same. Come on, let’s go back to my office. Seems like we’ve got a lot to talk about.”

“Right behind you, ma’am.”


	24. Apocalypse/Dystopia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one picks up right after the events of the Day 9 piece (in the post-apocalyptic alien invasion scenario). I figured it fit the prompt too and it would be fun to add a bit to that story. Wee bit of smut in this one, too.

Raiding parties didn’t come back very often. Even less common was an entire party coming back intact, and everyone more or less in one piece.

That kind of thing was cause for celebration. Although James was glad that they’d made it back late enough that Anderson declared celebrations could wait until the morning. Not only did that mean a bigger party, but it also gave him a chance to clean up and get some rest first. Well, in theory, anyway.

“Come on,” Winnie said, pulling him down the hall that led to the senior resistance members’ rooms. “Showers first, then we have our own private celebration. Then, bed.” She shot him a grin over her shoulder that sent all of James’ aches and fatigue on a temporary vacation.

“Not sure how a shower’s gonna help with the, uh, private celebrations, Lola,” he said, hoping the grime on his face was covering his blush.

The fact that they had running water and electricity at all was a bit of a miracle. They only reason they did was because Anderson had set up camp in some sort of self-sustaining agricultural compound. Experimental crops or something, James had heard. What it had been before didn’t really matter, other than the fact that it had its own generator and closed water system, and that it meant they could grow their own food. But the camp held more people than the compound had ever been intended to support, and despite regular losses, their numbers continued to grow. So the power and water had to be distributed carefully, and things like hot water just weren’t a priority. As tired as he was, James didn’t think a cold shower was liable to help much with getting in the mood, no matter how hot Lola might be.

She just laughed, winking at him as they reached her door. “If I let you in on a secret, you promise not to tell anyone?”

“Scout’s honor,” he promised, holding up three fingers as she pulled him into the room.

“You _were_ a scout, too, weren’t you?” she snorted, closing the door behind him and turning the lock.

“Eagle Scout, even,” he said with a grin, still absurdly proud of the fact after all these years, remembering the way his _abuela_ had smiled when he’d reached that goal.

“Guess that’s why you’re so good at surviving,” she purred, pushing him against the door and stretching up to kiss him.

“Part of the reason,” he agreed, bending down to meet her. “So, what’s this secret, Lola?”

“Hmm,” she kissed him again, a quick press of lips, then pulled back and flashed him a wide smile. “Senior leaders get hot water,” she said in a theatrical whisper. Then, at a normal volume, “It’s rationed, of course, and only available for part of the day. But it _is_ one of the perks of being in charge.” She glanced at the clock by her bed. “And we’ve still got it for another twenty minutes. So, that means we can each take a very quick shower, or…”

“Or, we can take a nice long shower together?” James finished, grin spreading across his face. “You’re on, Lola.”

Winnie turned for the bathroom, already peeling out of her stained clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor to be dealt with later. James tossed his on top of them. The clothes would have to be specially cleaned anyway, since they’d run into a pocket of the aliens on their raid. Those _pendejos_ never went down without a fight, and fighting them was messy. That shit was hell to clean up after, too. Something in the aliens’ bodily fluids reacted with the materials in human clothing, with very nasty results. If the resistance had better resources, they’d probably just burn anything that got alien goo on it, but clothes weren’t exactly in unlimited supply, and they had yet to find anything to wear that didn’t react with the substance. Fortunately, it washed off of skin and out of hair just fine, at least. James still hadn’t figured out how that worked, but he wasn’t about to complain about it.

By the time they were both naked, Winnie had the water running, and James stepped into the shower with her, reveling in the bliss of the steam wrapping around him. It was almost as welcome a sight as Winnie in nothing but her skin. Almost. They got down to the work of washing themselves quickly, both wanting to get the task out of the way. James helped Winnie scrub out her hair, making sure it was thoroughly clean. The goo might not have the same reaction with hair as it did with clothing, but it could still result in a pretty nasty smell if you missed any. Once they were clean, James closed his eyes, allowing himself just a moment to enjoy the simple pleasure of a hot shower. His eyes flew open though, when he was pinned against the shower wall and a hand snaked itself around his cock.

“Hey, Lola,” he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.

“Mmm, hey yourself,” she murmured against his lips. She stroked him a few times and then sighed, settling back down on the soles of her feet. “Probably not the best idea to do this in here.”

“Yeah,” James wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her close. “Aside from the safety issues, it’d be kind of a downer if the water went ice cold in the middle of something interesting.”

She laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself to him in a tight hug of her own. “You have a point there. Come on, then.”

She turned off the water and they made cursory efforts to try themselves off, although their progress was hampered by frequent interruptions like kissing and wandering hands. Actually able to look at her under light, James could see she had freckles across her shoulders and back, not just on her face. He got distracted tracing them with his fingers, playing a game of invisible connect the dots, and giving in to the urge to kiss as many of them as he could. Winnie laughed and batted him away with gentle hands, taking his towel and hanging it up. Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the bedroom, flicking off the light as they went. James turned off the light in the main room with reluctance, not yet done looking at her, but then she pulled him over to the bed and he figured it was time to give his other senses a chance to play. Winnie held him closely and he moved inside of her, burying his fingers in the wet strands of her hair. Her legs wrapped around his waist, urging him on.

Five minutes after they’d finished, she had curled up beside him and fallen fast asleep. James stayed awake a while longer, watching her face as his eyes adjusted to the darkness, trying to memorize everything about the moment. He wouldn’t have believed it a week ago, but Winnie Shepard actually wanted to be with _him_. It blew his mind, even as it filled him with a sense of warmth, of peace, that he hadn’t felt in ages. Whether this was just sex or something else was a conversation that would need to happen sooner or later. But for now, he knew that she wanted him, and in that moment, it was enough.


	25. Children

Winnie didn’t really like recess. It wasn’t that she didn’t like the chance to run around a bit and get out of the classroom. That _was_ nice. But it was like all sense of order fled the other kids as soon as they stepped outside. The playground was madness, and she hated it. She hated the hierarchy of the cool kids and the nerds and the bullies and the loners. Probably because she was a loner. Scholarship kids always got singled out a bit by the teachers, and unless they made friends with the cool kids or the nerds right away, they tended to get pushed aside, left to be mocked or ignored. Which of _those_ happened depended on whether or not they could keep their heads down, and how they handled the exploratory teasing. Winnie had made it pretty clear in her first week that she wasn’t going to put up with that crap, and so they left her to herself. It got boring sometimes, she could admit. But if the alternative was hanging out with people she didn’t like, then she figured being a loner was probably okay.

At least next year she’d be going to middle school. Still a scholarship kid, still very much from the wrong side of the tracks and subject to the same hierarchy. She’d have to establish herself all over again with the older kids who didn’t remember her. But at least there was no recess. She’d even heard that the library was open for lunch, and that sounded perfect to her. If she brought her own, she wouldn’t even have to go near the cafeteria. Just head straight to the library to curl up with a book and a sandwich, maybe get ahead in her studies. She’d heard Anderson mention something called “early graduation” on the phone last month, and she really liked the sound of that. The Normandy private school network offered a lot of advantages to its students, even Winnie was old enough to understand that. But for a poor foster kid there on scholarship? Surviving to actually make use of those advantages was the challenge.

_One more year_ , she chanted to herself. _You’ve just gotta last until June, Shep, that’s it._

Too bad it was only September.

She sighed and tried again to read the book she’d brought outside, but she couldn’t concentrate on it today for some reason. So she slipped it back into her jacket pocket and tilted her head back against the fence, pretending it wasn’t there, and that she was actually leaning against the tree on the other side. She let her eyes drift across the playground and frowned when she noticed a group of students nearby.

Khalisah and three of her minions were standing around a boy that Winnie didn’t recognize, and she didn’t need to hear what they were saying to realize they were giving him a hard time. This seemed like a particularly stupid move on Khalisah’s part, considering the boy was huge. If she hadn’t known better, she’d have thought him a teenager, not an elementary schooler. Maybe Khalisah was counting on safety in numbers. Winnie could see that the boy was getting upset, and she waited for him to take a swing at one of his tormentors. But instead he just balled up his fists and turned, trying to walk away. _Good for you!_ Winnie cheered him in silence.

Of course, Khalisah and her friends couldn’t just let the matter drop. They chased after him, and Winnie could hear some of the catcalling now. “What’s the matter? Don’t you speak any English? How did you even get in here? It can’t be because you’re _smart_.”

Winnie’s eyes narrowed, and without realizing it, she pushed herself up to standing. One day, she knew, someone somewhere would take Khalisah down a peg. But that wouldn’t help this boy right now. It didn’t take much to realize he must be one of the new scholarship students. Already the herd was testing him for weaknesses. She was so sick of it. Of them. “Leave him alone!” She found herself standing between the boy and Khalisah, not even aware of having moved to intervene. “Just back off, okay!”

“Oh, no, it’s _Winnifred_ , come to defend the big bad dummy.” She peered around Winnie with a cruel smirk. “What, you need little girls to stand up for you?”

The boy muttered something that Winnie couldn’t make out, and this just seemed to set Khalisah off. She and her friends burst into titters that set Winnie’s teeth on edge. Her own fists balled up, she stepped closer to Khalisah, trying to draw herself up as tall as she could, getting right in the other girl’s face. “Don’t call him that,” she said, her voice quiet and serious. “I’d bet a million bucks he’s smarter than _you_ , Khalisah. I heard how your daddy had to make an extra donation to the school to keep you from being held back last year.”

That shut her up. Winnie could see the realization in her eyes as she remembered who Winnie’s foster father was. Anderson might not be rich, but he was the city’s head detective, and he knew a lot of things about the city’s most prominent citizens. Khalisah’s father included. Winnie could see her wondering what other secrets Winnie might know. She screwed her face up, obviously trying to figure out how to get out of this without any further embarrassment to herself. “Fine!” she spat out at last, “Why don’t you and your big du—your _boyfriend_ go off and be losers somewhere where the rest of us don’t have to look at you.” She sneered and glanced at her friends. “Come on, guys, they’re not worth our time.”

They filed off and Winnie watched them go, glancing around to make sure they hadn’t attracted any other unwanted attention in the interim. It seemed as if the scene had gone largely unnoticed, and she let out a sigh of relief. Turning to the boy, she tilted her head back, hoping he wouldn’t be mad that she’d interfered. Boys could be funny about that stuff, sometimes. But he was just standing there, watching her with his eyebrows drawn together, as if unsure what to make of her. Winnie found herself blushing and didn’t know why. “Um, they should leave you alone now. Khalisah is mostly talk, but the other kids follow her like she’s the second coming or something because her dad is loaded.” She shrugged and glanced around. “Recess is only half over, you can come sit under the tree with me, if you want. No one really plays over there.”

“Okay,” he said after a minute, falling into step beside her. “Thanks,” he mumbled after a minute.

“Oh, well, yeah,” she shrugged again. “I mean, I hate watching her mess with people, you know.” They reached the fence and she turned around, frowning up at him. “I still can’t believe she started in on you anyway.”

“I think it’s because she was in the office this morning when my _abuela_ dropped me off,” he said, a thoughtful look on his face. “She doesn’t speak very much English, so it took her a little bit of time to fill out the paperwork.”

“ _Abuela_?” Winnie tilted her head, curious.

“Ah, grandmother,” he explained. “It’s Spanish.”

“Oh! That’s cool. You can speak Spanish? I wish I could speak another language.”

“Heh,” he looked down at his shoes, then turned and leaned against the fence, hands in his pockets. “Wish other people saw it that way.”

“Oh don’t mind Khalisah. She’s really more mean than smart. I wasn’t kidding when I said she almost got held back. Oh, I’m Winnie, by the way.” She stuck out her hand.

“James,” he said, taking it and shaking.

“James, hi.” She smiled and leaned against the fence beside him. Craning her neck to look at him, she asked, “So why didn’t you just hit one of them? They’d leave you alone if they know you’ll fight back.”

“I try not to fight,” he answered.

“You _try_ not to?”

“Well, since I’m bigger than most kids, a lot of times the bullies come after me anyway. To prove a point or something, I dunno.” He wrinkled up his nose and scuffed his shoe in the dirt. “But _abuela_ says I shouldn’t fight back unless I don’t have any choice but to defend myself. Too much chance I could really hurt someone.” He sighed. “I hate being so big. Everyone is either scared of me or thinks I’m just some stupid bully. Don’t know why I thought it would be different here.”

“Yeah, the rich kids don’t like us scholarship kids,” she commiserated. “But it’s not so bad, if you can get them to leave you alone.”

“They leave you alone?”

“Yeah, mostly. You can, uh, you can hang out with me, if you want.”

“Yeah?” He shot her a bright grin that Winnie couldn’t help but return.

“Yeah.” She nodded. “Cool. So. James. What’s your favorite subject?”

“Math,” he said without hesitation.

“Hey, me too!”

“Cool.”

By the time the bell rang to signal the end of recess, they were already fast friends.


	26. Seniors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I can admit that James and Winnie’s twilight years is something I spend WAY too much time thinking about already. It was fun to have an excuse to dive into that a little here.

“Whew.” Winnie dropped down on the couch, closing her eyes for a moment as she finally allowed the exhaustion to wash over her. “When did they get to be such a handful?”

James laughed and leaned over the back of the couch to place a kiss on her cheek. “Probably around the same time your boss started urging you to seriously consider retirement?”

“Hey, don’t you start! I am still perfectly capable of running my department, and I have the highest score at the shooting range, thank you very much.”

“I know,  _ mi amor _ , believe me.” He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head, then moved his hands to her shoulders, digging his thumbs in as he rubbed them. “You have flour in your hair, by the way.”

Winnie sighed and leaned into his touch. “That was Stevie. That boy should not be let anywhere near the kitchen. He’s a menace, I swear.” The grin on her face belied her words and James laughed again.

“They love baking cookies with their  _ abuela _ though.”

“Mmm, that they do. Though maybe next time we’ll start the lessons on how to clean up once the fun part’s done.”

“Sounds like a solid plan to me, and in the mean time, I’ll take care of the kitchen tonight.”

“Oh, James you don’t have to do that!”

“I don’t mind. Besides, I should probably get dinner started. You want some tea?”

“Yes, please. You are a dear.”

“Well, I’ve got to remind you I’m worth keeping around,” he teased as he headed into the kitchen. Calling out, he added, “Wanna make sure you don’t get talked into running off with some younger guy.”

“Never gonna happen, love,” Winnie called back with a laugh.

James brought her tea a few minutes later and she tucked her legs underneath herself on the couch, curling up to enjoy a few minutes of peace while her husband made dinner. She loved having the grandkids over to visit, but damned if their visits weren’t tiring. Worth every ache, though, she thought with a smile. She was glad that Ash and her husband had moved back closer to the city last year. Getting to see them and their kids so often definitely made life a little brighter. She  _ could _ retire, she supposed, but she had no idea what she’d do with her days when she did. Maybe when James was ready, they could retire together. Then they could do some of the traveling they talked about. That was a retirement she could look forward to, she thought.

“Dinner’s ready,” James said, coming out of the kitchen and drying his hands with a towel. He offered Winnie a hand and she stood, letting him pull her to the counter in the kitchen where he’d set up their meal. After they settled on their stools and tucked in, he held up his bottle of beer to her and she clinked her mug of tea against it in a toast. “To surviving another visit from the grandkids,” he said with a grin.

“Hear, hear,” she replied with a smirk. “Maybe next time we’ll take them to the zoo and get them all worn out before sending them home, instead of pumping them full of sugar. I’m sure Ash would appreciate that.”

“Course she would,” James snorted. “But where’s the fun in that? I mean, they sell cotton candy and ice cream at the zoo, right? I say we take them to the zoo  _ and _ pump them full of sugar.” He winked and Winnie laughed, knowing he was teasing. He liked to give their daughter a hard time about how he planned to spoil the kids, but he never really followed through on any of his threats. He glanced at the racks of cooled cookies, still half full even after the kids had taken a few dozen home to their parents. “And what are we gonna do with all of those, Lola?”

“I’ll take them to work on Monday,” she grinned. “At least if I keep all of my detectives on my side, the Chief can’t force me to retire too soon, right?”

“That’s my girl,” James laughed. He stood up and leaned over the counter to kiss her. “Never change, okay?”

“Never.”


	27. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which James and Winnie’s kid remind them that there’s more than one kind of family.

“Mama, why don’t we ever go to family reunions?”

Winnie looked up from her paperwork, eyebrows drawn together in confusion. “What?”

“Family reunions? We never go to them.”

Winnie blinked and glanced over Ashley’s head, meeting James’ eyes as he stirred the pot on the stove. A small frown had formed on his face. Winnie took a deep breath and looked back at her daughter. “What brings this on, sweetheart?”

Ashley frowned, her expression mirroring her father’s. “Karen can’t sleep over this week, because she has to go out of town for a family reunion. And last month Anna had one, and so did Joey. He said his family has one every year.” She cocked her head, “But Anna said her family only gets together every five years because they are so spread out.” She stuck her bottom lip out in a pout, and Winnie felt her heart break a little. “Even Lynn has cousins in town, and Bobby’s always visiting his grandparents and aunts and uncles in the summer. But we never do any of that.”

“Well, sweetie, that’s because our family isn’t very big.” She reached out and squeezed Ashley’s hand. “It’s just you, and me, and Daddy.”

“And baby Peter!” Ashley corrected her.

Winnie laughed, her free hand reaching down to cover her stomach. “Yes, and baby Peter when he gets here.”

“Oh, and Anderson, too!”

The cat in question meowed indignantly at having been left out and Winnie saw James fighting not to laugh as he turned back to the stove, his shoulders relaxing a little. “Yes,” Winnie agreed, “and Anderson too.” Her smile softened and she squeezed Ashley’s hand again. “So you see, we don’t need to have a reunion, because we all see each other every day.”

“Oh.” Ashley screwed her face up as she thought this over. She cracked one eye open and shot her mother a serious look. “But. What about cousins? Do I have any of those?”

James sighed and turned a knob on the stove, setting the spoon down in the rest next to the pot. He turned and joined them at the counter, wrapping an arm around Ashley’s shoulders. “Sorry kiddo, no cousins. You know your mom and I are both only children, right?” He looked down and waited for her to nod before continuing. “So that means no aunts and uncles, which means no cousins. Every family’s a little different  _ mija _ , and ours is a small one.” He glanced up at Winnie and smirked. “So far, at least.”

“But what about Uncle Garrus? And Uncle Steve?” She glanced between her parents, eyes wide and serious. “Aunt Liara and Aunt Tali? Aren’t they family?”

James let out a deep laugh and pulled her close in a bear hug. “Well yeah, but just not like you’re thinking.”

“Oh. Okay. But…could I at least  _ pretend _ their kids are my cousins?”

Winnie and James exchanged a surprised look, and Winnie smiled. “I don’t see why not, sweetie. I think that’s a wonderful idea, in fact.”

“All right, then. Cool.” Ashley perked up and wriggled out of her father’s arms. She bent down to scoop up Anderson and wandered out of the kitchen. A few minutes later they heard the sound of the television coming on.

“You know that’s turning right back off when dinner’s ready!” Winnie called out, leaning back on her stool and peering through the door to the living room.

“I know!”

Winnie narrowed her eyes but then shook her head, letting it go. She glanced up at James, surprised to find him staring off into the distance, a thoughtful look on his face. “You okay?” she asked in a low voice.

He gave himself a little shake and then shrugged. “Yeah. Guess I just wasn’t expecting that particular conversation to happen so soon.”

“I don’t know that seven is ‘soon’ for that sort of thing. But I think she took it pretty well.”

“Yeah. I guess she did.” He grinned and slipped his phone out of his pocket, turning back to pick up the spoon and stir the pot again.

“Who are you calling?” Winnie couldn’t keep the curiosity out of her voice.

“Esteban,” James said, glancing over his shoulder with a wink. “Then Scars. Figured maybe it was time we organize a family reunion of our own.”

Winnie laughed, a smile taking over her own face. “I like the sound of that.” She piled her paperwork up neatly and slid it back into her bag, reaching for her phone as well. Come to think of it, she had a few calls of her own to make.


	28. Race Bending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forbidden merperson love? Forbidden merperson love! ^_^

Winnie swam faster, worried at her lateness. She’d meant to leave much earlier, but had been delayed when one of the hunting parties had returned. It would have been noticed if she hadn’t been there to greet them. She quickened her pace yet again, determined frown crossing her face as she cursed the obligations that had interrupted her plans. He had his own obligations after all, what if he wasn’t able to wait for her? What if she arrived to find him already gone?

_ No _ , she chastised herself firmly.  _ He will be there _ .

Still, a sense of trepidation washed over her as she reached the meeting place. She hadn’t been able to ignore her own responsibilities, what right did she have to expect any different from him? She angled her body upward, breaking through the surface with a quiet splash that nonetheless sounded loud in the stillness of the lagoon. A moment to get her bearings back as her body made the adjustment to breathing out of the water, and then she glanced around, squinting her eyes to see better in the moonlight. “James?”

Another soft splash sounded, seeming to echo less now that the spell of silence had been broken, and Winnie could see ripples making their way toward her as a large shape detached from a nearby rock. “I’m here,” he whispered.

“Oh, thank Neptune,” she breathed, moving toward him even as he began swimming her way. He caught her up in strong arms, pulling her close in a warm embrace, and she rested her head against his chest, peace settling over her. “I was held up at home, I’m sorry. I worried you would have left already.”

“I’ve at least another hour before they notice I’m not there,” he said, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

The understanding was welcome as well. He would not be angry with her for seeing to her duties. In her place he’d have done the same, and knowing that was a large part of why she loved him so much. She leaned back in his arms, looking up at him with a smile of her own. Then she slid her arms around his neck and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his, not wanting to waste another moment of this stolen time. Their tails twined together and James ran his hands up and down her back, the rough calluses catching on the small patches of scales that dotted her skin. The fins at his wrists tickled her, like brushing up against a frond of kelp, and she shivered at the touch, pressing herself even closer to him.

“Never gonna get over you being ticklish, Lola,” he said with a low chuckle. Winnie retaliated by kissing him again, pressing her tongue between his lips and sliding one hand down his chest and to his waist. He was the one to shiver as she traced a light finger along the sensitive area where scales gave way to flesh, and he moaned, pulling her closer. “I hate that we have to hide this,” he groaned, breaking away and resting his forehead on her shoulder. “We could be joined already, starting up our own family.”

“Yes, but which clan would that family belong to?” Winnie could not keep the sorrow from her voice, adding, “And which of us would never be able to see our clan or family of birth again?”

He let out a sigh of frustration, hands stilling at her waist. His tail unwound from hers enough that he could flick it in irritation. But he remained silent, and she was grateful for it. How easy would it be to suggest they steal away together? Forsake both of their clans and all of the duties and responsibilities they both held among their people. But he demanded no such thing, and she knew he wouldn’t. Just as he knew the request would never come from her, either. Perhaps it  _ was _ disloyal of them, this romance. But it did not feel wrong. To actually swim away and leave the people they were sworn to protect behind?  _ That _ would be wrong, and they both believed that with all of their hearts.

The very things that brought them together, let them understand each other, that made them perfect for one another, were the very things keeping them apart.

They would just have to be content with what they had. Secret meetings in dark, hidden places. Stolen moments of comfort and constant guilt and fear of discovery. It could never be enough, but it would have to be. Except…they both knew it couldn’t last, not like this.

“The chieftains have been holding war councils,” James murmured, reaching up to push a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yes, on our side of the rift as well,” she admitted. She pulled back slightly, holding him at arm’s length, and they stared into each other’s eyes, serious. What would they do, she wondered, if they found themselves facing each other on the field of battle? She had no desire to find out. She drew a deep breath, biting her lip for a moment before giving voice to the idea that had occurred to her earlier that day. “The alliances are still forming,” she whispered. “The lines have not been drawn yet.”

James frowned, brow drawing down in thought. “Our clans have been against each other for hundreds of years. Do you really think we can find some way to bring them together?”

“I think we can try. I think we  _ should _ try, and not just for our own sakes.”

“A alliance between our clans  _ would _ be powerful.”

_ It would be the beginning of a kingdom _ , she thought but did not say.  _ It would be a chance for peace in the entire valley, actual lasting peace. _ And the kingdom would need leaders. “An alliance like that would need to be secured with more than treaties,” she breathed.

His eyes widened slightly, but then he nodded, a smirk flashing across his face. “Joinings between members of both clans would be encouraged, no doubt.”

“You will try to convince your people?”

“I will.” He pulled her close again, stealing another kiss, curling her tail and leaving her head swimming.

“Good,” she whispered once she could think straight again. “I should go, then.”

“Me too,” he agreed. “Twelve tides?”

She nodded. “I will see you then.”

They parted with reluctance, diving back into the deep and each turning for their own corner of the valley. Winnie fought the urge to look back as she swam away, pushing down the ache in her heart. Every time she left him, it grew harder. But if they could succeed in their plan…she smiled and began to swim faster.

If they succeeded, then they never need part again.


	29. Pirates

Winnie perched on the railing of the aftcastle, watching as Garrus and Liara lined up the prisoners that Wrex was hauling over from their latest capture. She bit back a snort as a few of them noticed Liara’s curves, appalled looks settling over their faces. They cringed back as Liara passed them, and one even spit on the deck and made a sign to ward off evil. Winnie amused herself for a moment by imagining how they would react when she made herself known, or heaven forbid, when they took a closer look at the rest of her crew. With Ashley, Tali, Kasumi, Miranda, and  _ Jack _ she suspected their poor fragile male egos just might burst. She rolled her eyes and laughed to herself.

Perhaps it was a good thing that none of them looked to be worth ransoming. The quicker she could get those superstitious fools off her boat, the better.

“What do you think, Skipper?”

Winnie didn’t bother turning around as Ashley stepped up beside her. She swept her eyes over the prisoners once more and then glanced at the other ship, currently secured to their own as half her crew picked it over. She could see Kaidan and Steve conferring and guessed they were nearly done with the task. “I think,” she answered, turning to face Ashley at last, “that we had better hope that tip was accurate and they were carrying something valuable. Because this lot isn’t going to fetch us anything but a pain in the ass.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right about that.” She sighed and leaned her elbows on the rail, glancing down at the prisoners with a frown on her face. “Is it wrong that I kind of wish they had fought back a little more?”

Winnie arched an eyebrow at her in question.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Ashley laughed. “I’m glad we didn’t suffer any casualties. Doc says there wasn’t anything worse than a few nasty cuts to stitch up on our side of things. But, I dunno, I keep hoping we’ll find someone with a bit of spirit you know?”

“Someone eager to take up pirating, perhaps?” Winnie asked, a knowing smile crossing her face. That was, after all, how Ashley had come to join the crew of the  _ Normandy _ . She turned her eyes back to the deck, assessing the prisoners anew. They’d lost Jenkins a few weeks back, and had been bordering on short-handed before that. Ashley had a point, they could use some fresh blood. Still…she wasn’t so sure it would be found in this group.

Half of them were actively shuffling away from Liara now, much to Liara’s amusement. The others weren’t much better, keeping wary eyes on Garrus, going pale when he turned his head, revealing the scarred half of his face to them. She wasn’t surprised they hadn’t fought back, really. Most of them looked like they had no business being on a ship in the first place. Landlubbers, the lot of them. She was amazed they had made it this far out to sea without sinking the boat themselves. What had their captain been thinking when he’d assembled this crew? She shook her head in disgust. Well, it wasn’t as if she could ask him now, was it? He  _ had _ fought back, though without success. The only person who’d be asking him any more questions was Davy Jones. Same with his first mate. In fact, of the small group that had tried to resist being boarded, only one had survived to be captured. That had more to do with Winnie getting in a lucky punch that had knocked the fellow out than anything else though. A smile quirked up the edge of her lips. He really hadn’t seen her coming.

_ Someone with a bit of spirit, she says? _ Winnie let her gaze wander until she found him, tied to the railing a little bit away from the rest of his crew mates. She hadn’t wanted to risk him coming to and causing trouble at an inopportune moment. It looked like he was just starting to regain consciousness, though. Winnie’s smile widened. She must have hit him harder than she thought. “What about that one?” She pointed him out to Ashley, curious of the other woman’s opinion.

“Bit too many muscles for my taste,” Ashley laughed. Then she pursed her lips and gave him a closer look. “But as crew?” As they watched, Garrus walked past him. Instead of cringing like the others, when he saw the scars his eyebrows shot up and, from his expression, Winnie would have sworn he was impressed. Not a bad sign. Ashley nodded slowly. “Maybe. You think he’ll be interested?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Kaidan and Steve clambered back aboard and made their way to Liara. Garrus joined them as the rest of the crew returned as well. Once everyone was back on the  _ Normandy _ , Kaidan glanced around, finding Winnie, and gave a short nod. That was it, then. Time to go. Winnie jumped down from the railing, landing on the deck with a loud thud. All eyes turned to her as she straightened up.

“That’s everything?”

“Aye, Captain,” Kaidan answered. “We’re good to go.”

“Cut us loose, then, and ready the sails.” She raised her voice enough to carry, and there was a chorus of ayes from the crew as they scurried to obey her command.

“What about these?” Garrus jerked his neck toward the prisoners.

“Take them below for now. We should reach Omega before sundown, we’ll drop them off there.”

Garrus nodded and began pulling the prisoners to their feet, Liara, Kaidan, and Steve moving to help. The sooner they were off the deck, the sooner they’d be out of the way, and the less they would overhear to repeat. Winnie supposed it would be easier just to kill them all, but it seemed like such a waste. Omega was on the edge of the navy’s patrol route. Anyone stranded there was likely to be picked up after a day or two, and it was far enough away from their main territory to give the  _ Normandy _ a chance to flee should they actually encounter any naval vessels. No other ship on the water could keep up with the  _ Normandy _ . Winnie wasn’t worried about capture. She had also learned from experience that suspicious types like this lot were far less likely to be forthcoming with their rescuers about just who had raided them. They didn’t like to admit they’d been bested by a crew run by a woman. As little patience as she had for such foolishness, she wasn’t blind to its benefits.

Wrex made to untie the prisoner at the rail and Winnie waved him off. She walked over to the young man, looking down at him for a moment before dropping into a crouch. He stared back at her, calm, with a hint of defiance in his eyes. He didn’t seem scared, just patient. She gave him a minute, willing to let him have the first word, but he just watched her in silence, one eyebrow arching in invitation.  _ All right, then _ . She cocked her head to one side, trying to decide where to begin. “How’s your jaw?”

“Not broken, I think, so it’ll heal.”

“And your pride?”

He laughed and winked at her. “Takes more than getting hit by a pirate to break it. Hell, it’s not even dented.” He grinned and Winnie allowed herself a smile in return.

“What’s your name?”

“James Vega, at your service Captain.”

“At my service, hmm?”

He grinned and wiggled his massive shoulders in what might have been a shrug. “Don’t see that I have much in the way of other choices at the moment.” He glanced over her shoulder, watching the others being herded below deck. An expression bordering on contempt flashed across his face and Winnie had to fight to keep her surprise from showing. James turned back to her, curiosity replacing the previous look. “Omega, huh?”

“They’re not worth ransoming,” Winnie said dryly, “or killing.” She shrugged. “If they want to survive, Omega’s as good a chance for them as any.”

He nodded slowly. “Just them?” He cocked his head and Winnie allowed her smile to widen. Now they got to the heart of it.

“You fought us,” she said, keeping her voice light, disinterested. “They didn’t.”

“Nothing personal,” he said with a wink. “I promised the captain my loyalty when I signed on with him. Way I see it, that means fighting pirates if they try to steal his cargo.” He attempted another shrug, then shot a glare over her shoulder. “Woulda been nice if the rest of the crew had felt the same way. Not that I blame them,” he said with a sigh. “Captain was a bit of a  _ pendejo _ .”

“Well, he’s dead now,” Winnie observed in a dry voice.

“Yup. Guess that means I’m free to find a new captain.”

Winnie’s eyebrows shot up, and she bit out short laugh. “I suppose it does. As it happens, we could use another hand on the crew. If you know anyone who might be interested?”

“Yeah, I think maybe I do.”

“Good.” Winnie unsheathed the dagger strapped to her thigh and leaned forward, reaching around to cut the ropes binding him. His breath caught in his chest when she had to press against him to reach, and she bit her lip to stifle a laugh.  _ Oh, this might be a very bad idea. Or a rather good one. _ Only one way to find out, right? She moved back and sheathed her dagger, rising to stand and offering him her hand. “Welcome aboard the  _ Normandy _ , James.”

“Aye, Captain,” he said, holding her hand just a moment longer than necessary before letting go.

“Garrus!” Winnie called out as she saw him emerge from below, waving him over. She turned back to James, “My first mate will show you the ropes. Garrus, why don’t you give James the tour, hmm?”

Garrus gave James a long look before nodding. “This way,” he jerked his head and strode off. James followed after him with one last look back at Winnie. She couldn’t quite keep her eyes from lingering on his backside as he walked away.

An amused laugh sounded from behind her. “Oh, this should be  _ interesting _ ,” Ashley drawled, following Winnie’s eyes.

“Yes,” Winnie agree. “Yes it should.”


	30. Your life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It felt really strange to write something so autobiographical, but it was also a lot of fun. I hope you’ll enjoy this one. 
> 
> Also, wow, that’s it. That’s the challenge. I'll have one more surprise for you tomorrow, but this is pretty much a wrap! Thanks for reading along, folks!

“ _ Papi _ ! Help me build a tower!”

Winnie glanced up from her knitting just in time to see Ash stride into the room carrying her basket of blocks. A smile flickered across her face at the determined look in her daughter’s eyes. “No” was not going to be an acceptable answer to that request. It must be nice to have the undistilled confidence of a four year old, that unwavering knowledge that the world would bow to her demands. She hoped Ash could hold on to it, or at least most of it, as she grew up and learned just how harsh the world could be. Fortunately, today wasn’t looking to be the day for that particular lesson.

“Sure thing,  _ mija _ ,” James chuckled, setting down his book and rising from the couch. He moved to the other side of the coffee table, kneeling down beside Ash as she set the basket on the floor and began directing him in the construction of her latest vision.

Winnie smiled to herself again. It was too early to think such things, and she knew it, but if Ash grew up and went into architecture or engineering, Winnie would not be one bit surprised. She picked up her mug and took a deep sip of tea, letting her eyes drift shut as she savored the taste, listening to the other two play together. She set down her mug after a moment, opening her eyes once more and returning her attention to the almost-a-sock in her hands. The foot was just about done, and then there would only be the toe to do. She glanced at Ash, wondering if the girl could be distracted from her building long enough to try it on for size.

On the television, Alex Trebek finished interviewing the contestants and the first round of “Jeopardy!” resumed. “Who is Douglas Adams?” Winnie called out in response to one of the clues.

“No  _ papi _ , not there. The red ones first!”

“Oh, okay. Like this?”

“Perfect!”

Winnie glanced up and caught James’ eyes. He grinned and then winked at her, carefully picking a blue block out of the basket and placing it in the row of red. “And this one next, right?”

“ _ Papi _ .”

How someone so young could muster up so much exasperation was beyond Winnie, and it was all she could do to hold back a giggle. She didn’t bother trying to hide her smile though. James acceded to their daughter’s demands and relocated the blue block, replacing it with a red one. As the show progressed, both the tower and the sock grew. Winnie closed up the toe of the sock, humming along to the music playing while the contestants wrote down their final answers. A soft laugh from James had her looking up to meet his eyes, before he shot a pointed look at Ash and Winnie realized she was humming along as well.

“She knows  _ that _ song,” he said with a warm smile.

“Well, she is  _ my _ kid.”

“Yeah,” another laugh.

Winnie turned the television off just as Ash placed the final block at the top of the tower with a triumphant gleam in her eyes. She glanced at both of her parents, grinning widely, and said, “Now, I’m a dragon.”

Then she knocked the tower over without a second thought. Blocks flew everywhere, scattering around the living room with a series of loud clacks and thuds, accompanied by laughter from Winnie and James. Ash stomped around in the wreckage for a few moments before turning to her father and declaring, “Again!”

James slapped a hand to his face and pretended to groan, but then he spread his fingers to peek through and wink at Ash, and she scrambled to pick up all of the blocks to make room for the new tower.

Winnie drained her tea and set the mug back down, saying, “Wait a second, sweetie, come here first.” Ash hurried over and snatched at the sock her mother held out to her, making a happy sound as she plopped down on the floor to pull it on her foot. “I guess that means you like it?” Winnie laughed. She fished the other sock, already finished, out of her project bag and tossed it at Ash, who quickly donned that one as well.

“Look, look!” Ash cried, running over to James and pointing at her feet. “Mama made me socks!”

“Pretty cool looking socks, too,  _ mija _ ,” he observed, shooting a smile at Winnie.

“Dragon socks!” Ash declared. She stared at her feet for another minute before turning her attention back to her blocks. “Okay, now we’ll make another tower!”

“Let’s see if your mom wants to help with this one,” James said in a stage whisper.

“Mama, help us build!” Ash called.

“Well, I suppose I can do that,” Winnie agreed. She slid off the couch and went over to join them, kneeling next to James, who pulled her in for a kiss.

“Come on,” he said, “let’s make that dragon something really awesome to knock over.”

“You’re on,” Winnie agreed, and together the three of them got to work.


	31. Drunk Dial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This last one isn't from the actual challenge but from a [separate post](http://dalishmarshmallow.tumblr.com/post/80126995095/ragnaroked-found-their-phone-number-in-a) that floated across my dash on tumblr and sparked my muses. I thought since I wrote it during the month of the AU challenges, I would go ahead and add it to the collection here on AO3. I hope you dig it!
> 
> The prompt was for what if your OTP met when one got drunk and dialed the wrong number. 
> 
>  
> 
> [My original post for this on tumblr can be found here.](http://teadrinkingdragon.tumblr.com/post/80130831962/oh-no-a-wild-plot-bunny-appears)

"Yo, Lola! Been a long time, what are you up to?"

"What? Who is this? This isn’t Lola."

"Aw come on, don’t be like that."

"I’m not being like anything. My name’s not Lola. Who is this?"

"It’s James, Lola. Jimmy Vega. You remember, Mateo’s buddy?"

"I don’t know anyone named Mateo. I’m not Lola! You’ve got the wrong number. Would you please stop calling me?!"

"You ever miss the old neighborhood, Lola?"

"I told you, I’m not—"

*choked sob* “I mean, not the place. Who’d miss that place? But the people? Hell, yeah. I mean not all of ‘em. Some real _pendejos_ , you know. But you and Mateo, my _abuela_ , the guy that ran the comic book shop on the corner. You remember him? He’d always let us hang out there as long as we wanted. Said we were safer in there than on the streets.”

"…sounds like a good guy."

"Yeah, he was one of the good ones. Not too many of those back in the day. Even fewer now, from what I hear. I was glad you and Mateo got out of there, you know." *deep breath* "Glad I did, too."

*heavy sigh* “Sounds like you’re having a rough night, James.”

"Yeah." *sniffs* "Guess I am. Had some leave, so I thought I’d visit mom and _abuela_ at the cemetery. Ran into my old man.” *snorts* “That went about as well as you’d imagine. But I managed to lose him. Ducked into some shitty bar, kind of been holed up here since. Probably shouldn’t have started drinking.”

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I’m fine, Lola. Wasn’t expecting to see him. It just stirred up all that old bullshit, you know?" *sighs* "I think I just needed to talk to someone from back in the day. I know Mateo’s got TDY, so…"

"So you thought you’d call Lola."

"You always did look out for us. Kept us out of a lot of trouble. Anyway, just…just wanted to say hey, yeah? I should probably call a cab to take me back to Pendleton. Take care of yourself, huh?"

"Wait!"

"What?"

"Which bar are you at?"

"Uh…techno type joint. Purgatory, I think?" *snorts* "Hell, that sounds about right."

"Look, a cab this time of night, that part of town, it’ll take at least an hour to get to you. I’m not that far, I can be there in ten minutes. Let me take you back to the base, okay?"

"You sure, Lola? I don’t want to put you out."

*huffs* “Yeah, just. Yeah it’s fine.”

"Thanks, Lola. See you in a bit, then." *soft laugh* "You’re the best big sister a guy never had."

"Right, well. See you in a bit."


End file.
